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

USGS2003

Estimation of past seepage volumes from calcite distribution in the Topopah Spring Tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Low-temperature calcite and opal record the past seepage of water into open fractures and lithophysal cavities in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site of a proposed high-level radioactive waste repository. Systematic measurements of calcite and opal coatings in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) tunnel at the proposed repository horizon are used to estimate the volume of calcite at each site of calcite and/or opal deposition. By estimating the volume of water required to precipitate the measured volumes of calcite in the unsaturated zone, seepage rates of 0.005 to 5 liters/year (l/year) are calculated at the median and 95th percentile of the measured volumes, respectively. These seepage rates are at the low end of the range of seepage rates from recent performance assessment (PA) calculations, confirming the conservative nature of the performance assessment. However, the distribution of the calcite and opal coatings indicate that a much larger fraction of the potential waste packages would be contacted by this seepage than is calculated in the performance assessment.

Journal of Contaminant Hydrology↗

USGS2022

A summary of water-quality and salt marsh monitoring, Humboldt Bay, California

This report summarizes data-collection activities associated with the U.S. Geological Survey Humboldt Bay Water-Quality and Salt Marsh Monitoring Project. This work was undertaken to gain a comprehensive understanding of water-quality conditions, salt marsh accretion processes, marsh-edge erosion, and soil-carbon storage in Humboldt Bay, California. Multiparameter sondes recorded water temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity at a 15-minute timestep at two U.S. Geological Survey water-quality stations: (1) Mad River Slough near Arcata, California (U.S. Geological Survey station 405219124085601) and (2) Hookton Slough near Loleta, California (U.S. Geological Survey station 404038124131801). At each station, discrete water samples were collected to develop surrogate regression models that were used to compute a continuous time series of suspended-sediment concentration from continuously measured turbidity. Data loggers recorded water depth at a 6-minute timestep in the primary tidal channels (Mad River Slough and Hookton Slough) in two adjacent marshes (Mad River marsh and Hookton marsh). The marsh monitoring network included five study marshes. Three marshes (Mad River, Manila, and Jacoby) are in the northern embayment of Humboldt Bay and two marshes (White and Hookton) are in the southern embayment. Surface deposition and elevation change were measured using deep rod surface elevation tables and feldspar marker horizons. Sediment characteristics and soil-carbon storage were measured using a total of 10 shallow cores, distributed across 5 study marshes, collected using an Eijkelkamp peat sampler. Rates of marsh edge erosion (2010–19) were quantified in four marshes (Mad River, Manila, Jacoby, and White) by estimating changes in the areal extent of the vegetated marsh plain using repeat aerial imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived elevation data. During the monitoring period (2016–19), the mean suspended-sediment concentration computed for Hookton Slough (50±20 milligrams per liter [mg/L]) was higher than Mad River Slough (18±7 mg/L). Uncertainty in mean suspended-sediment concentration values is reported using a 90-percent confidence interval. Across the five study marshes, elevation change (+1.8±0.6 millimeters per year [mm/yr]) and surface deposition (+2.5±0.5 mm/yr) were lower than published values of local sea-level rise (4.9±0.8 mm/yr), and mean carbon density was 0.029±0.005 grams of carbon per cubic centimeter. From 2010 to 2019, marsh edge erosion and soil carbon loss were greatest in low-elevation marshes with the marsh edge characterized by a gentle transition from mudflat to vegetated marsh (herein, ramped edge morphology) and larger wind-wave exposure. Jacoby Creek marsh experienced the greatest edge erosion. In total, marsh edge erosion was responsible for 62.3 metric tons of estuarine soil carbon storage loss across four study marshes. Salt marshes are an important component of coastal carbon, which is frequently referred to as “blue carbon.” The monitoring data presented in this report provide fundamental information needed to manage blue carbon stocks, assess marsh vulnerability, inform sea-level rise adaptation planning, and build coastal resiliency to climate change.

California↗

USGS1989

Suspended-sediment data in the upper Rio Grande De Loiza basin, Puerto Rico

Fluvial sediment, a widely recognized pollutant of surface water , is reducing the efficiency and useful life of almost all reservoirs in Puerto Rico. Sediment transported from the upper basin of the Rio Grande de Loiza is eventually deposited in the bottom of Lago Loiza, a water reservoir. Suspended sediment data were collected from 1983 to 1986 from a 208 sq mi area extending from the headwaters of Rio Grande de Loiza to the Lago Loiza. The drainage areas range from 0.82 sq mi to 89.8 sq mi. Results are based on three years of data from a network of five daily- record stations and five partial-record stations. A total of 2 ,114 sediment samples were collected and analyzed during the investigation. Instantaneous concentrations of suspended sediment varied from 0 to 56, 100 mg/L. Instantaneous suspended sediment loads ranged from 0 tons/day to 817,000 tons/day. A total of 152 suspended sediment samples were analyzed for particle size distribution. Suspended sediment in the streams is composed mostly of silt and clay. Sand content ranged from 6 to 80% during high flows. (Author 's abstract)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1996

Metamorphism and gold mineralization in the Blue Ridge, southernmost Appalachians

Lode gold mineralization in the Blue Ridge of the southernmost Appalachians is hosted by metavolcanic rocks (e.g., Anna Howe mine, AL; Royal Vindicator mine, GA), metaplutonic rocks (e.g., Hog Mountain mine, AL), and metasedimentary rocks (e.g., Lowe, Tallapoosa, and Jones Vein mines, AL). Most gold occurs in synkinematic quartz + or - plagioclase + or - pyrite + or - pyrrhotite + or - chlorite veins localized along polydeformational faults that juxtapose rocks with significantly different peak metamorphic mineral assemblages.Mineralogy, chemistry, and O and H isotope studies suggest that the three types of host rocks have undergone differing amounts and types of alteration during mineralization. Limited wall-rock alteration in metavolcanic- and metasediment-hosted deposits, and relatively extensive wall-rock alteration in granitoid-hosted deposits, suggests that most deposits formed from fluids that were close to equilibrium with metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. Stable isotope compositions of the fluids calculated from vein minerals and vein selvages are consistent with a predominantly metasedimentary fluid source, but vary from deposit to deposit (-22 to -47ppm delta D, 4-5ppm, delta 18 O, and 5-7ppm delta 34 S at Anna Howe and Royal Vindicator; -48 to -50ppm delta D, 9-13ppm delta 18 O, and ca. 19ppm delta 34 S at Lowe and Jones Vein; and -22 to -23ppm delta D, 8-11ppm delta 18 O, 9-10ppm delta 34 S, and -6 delta 13 C at Hog Mountain). Silicate mineral thermobarometry of vein, vein selvage, and wall-rock mineral assemblages indicate that mineralization and regional metamorphism occured at greenschist to amphibolite facies (480 degrees + or - 75 degrees C at Anna Howe, 535 degrees + or - 50 degrees C at 6.4 + or - 1 kbars at Lowe, 530 degrees + or - 50 degrees C at 6.9 + or - 1 kbars at Tallapoosa, and 460 degrees + or - 50 degrees C at 5.5 + or - 1 kbars at Hog Mountain). Oxygen isotope fractionation between vein minerals and selvage minerals consistently records equilibration temperatures that are similar to or slightly lower than those estimated from silicate thermometry.Auriferous veins contain numerous fluid inclusions that were emplaced in several stages and can be subdivided into five compositional types based on salt and CO 2 concentrations. Fluid inclusion isochores for early formed inclusions from these veins intercept the pressure and temperature conditions estimated from silicate mineral thermobarometry and stable isotope thermometry, and are compatible with entrapment at those conditions. These fluids exhibit significant variation in salinity (X (sub NaCl equiv ) ) = 0.0-0.2) and CO 2 (X (sub CO 2 ) = 0.0-0.2), suggesting variation in fluid-wall-rock interaction that accompanied gold deposition during declining temperatures. Less abundant and later fluids within the veins are dominantly CO 2 .The association of gold mineralization with structurally controlled concordant and discordant quartz sulfide veins, and the temperatures and pressures of wall-rock alteration and regional metamorphism indicate that the present distribution of gold is a result of metamorphism during progressive D 2 -D 3 deformation. Isotopic data for alteration envelopes date this event as Alleghanian: 279 + or - 14 Ma (K-Ar whole rock) and 343 + or - 18 Ma (K-Ar biotite) at Lowe; and 315 + or - 18 Ma (Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron; 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i = 0.7061 + or - 0.0008) and 294 + or - 16 Ma (K-Ar whole-rock) at Hog Mountain. Available data are compatible with development of the lodes during early Alleghanian overthrusting of allochthons over sedimentary rocks of the autochthonous North American margin. The implication is that the fluids were derived from metasedimentary and/or metavolcanic formations in the lower parts of the crystalline thrust stack (or possibly from underlying autochthonous sedimentary formations), ascended along permeable fault zones, and were emplaced as veins into dilatent areas in and adjacent to the fault zones.

Economic Geology↗

USGS2023

Lateral edifice collapse and volcanic debris avalanches: A post-1980 Mount St. Helens perspective

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was instrumental in advancing understanding of how volcanoes work. Lateral edifice collapses and the generation of volcanic debris avalanches were not widely recognized prior to that eruption, making assessment of their hazards and risks challenging. The proliferation of studies since 1980 on resulting deposits and evaluation of processes leading to their generation has built on the insights from the 1980 eruption. Volcano-related destabilizing phenomena, such as strength reduction by hydrothermal alteration, deformation and structural modifications from shallow magma intrusion, and thermal pressurization of pore fluids supplement those factors also affecting nonvolcanic slopes and can lead to larger failures. Remote and ground-based monitoring techniques can aid in detecting potentially destabilizing dynamic processes and in forecasting the size and location of future large lateral collapses, although forecasting remains a topic of investigation. More than a thousand large lateral collapse events likely ≥ 0.01 km 3 in volume have now been identified from deposits or inferred from source area morphology, leading to a recognition of their importance in the evolution of volcanoes and the hazards they pose. Criteria for recognition of debris-avalanche deposits include morphological factors and textural characteristics from outcrop to microscopic scale, allowing discrimination from other volcaniclastic deposits. Lateral edifice failure impacts a broad spectrum of volcanic structures in diverse tectonic settings and can occur multiple times during the evolution of individual volcanoes. Globally, collapses ≥ 0.1 km 3 in volume have been documented 5–6 times per century since 1500 CE, with about one per century having a volume ≥ 1 km 3 . Smaller events < 0.1 km 3 are underrepresented in the earlier record but also have high hazard impact.

Wasgington↗

USGS1987

Variation of wet deposition chemistry in Sequoia National Park, California

Sequoia National Park has monitored wet deposition chemistry in conjunction with the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and National Trends Network (NADP/NTN), on a weekly basis since July, 1980. Annual deposition of H, NO 3 and SO 4 (0.045, 3.6, and 3.9 kg ha −1 a −1 , respectively) is relatively low compared to that measured in the eastern United States, or in the urban Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Weekly ion concentrations are highly variable. Maximum concentrations of 324,162, and 156 μeq ol −1 of H, NO 3 and SO 4 have been recorded for one low volume summer storm (1.4 mm). Summer concentrations of NO 3 and SO 4 average two and five times higher, respectively, than concentrations reported for remote areas in the world. There is considerable variability in the ionic concentration of low volume samples, and much less variability in moderate and high volume samples.

California↗

USGS2010

Relationship of voluminous ignimbrites to continental arc plutons: Petrology of Jurassic ignimbrites and contemporaneous plutons in southern California

Volcanism was broadly associated in both space and time with Mesozoic plutonism in the Cordillera continental margin arc, but the precise petrogenetic relationships between volcanic rocks and adjacent zoned plutons are not known. Igneous rocks in a tilted crustal section in California include four laterally extensive Jurassic ash flow tuffs from 550 to >1100 m thick underlain at deeper structural levels by Jurassic plutons. Zircon geochronology confirms previous correlations of individual tuffs, suggesting ignimbrites with eruptive volumes up to 800 km 3 were deposited both during the apparent Early Jurassic plutonic lull as well as contemporaneous with solidification of regionally widespread Middle and Late Jurassic plutons. The tuffs are weakly to strongly porphyritic (5 to 55% phenocrysts) monotonous intermediate porphyritic dacite to low-silica rhyolite and show strong bulk rock chemical affinity to contemporaneous plutons. Trace element compositions of zircons from the tuffs and contemporaneous plutonic rocks record large and consistent differences in Hf/Zr and REE over similar ranges in Ti abundances, supporting bulk compositional similarities and illuminating similarities and variations in thermal histories despite the effects of hydrothermal alteration. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2012

The growth of geological structures by repeated earthquakes: 2, Field examples of continental dip-slip faults

A strong test of our understanding of the earthquake cycle is the ability to reproduce extant fault-bounded geological structures, such as basins and ranges, which are built by repeated cycles of deformation. Along strike-slip faults, the coseismic and interseismic deformation can be nearly equal in magnitude and opposite in sign, resulting in little permanent deformation except for the fault offset. For dip-slip faults, portions of the crust are lifted and dropped, and so buoyancy forces are exerted. The seismic and interseismic deformations do not balance, and structures grow and become subject to erosion and deposition. We consider three examples for which the structure and fault geometry are well known: the White Wolf reverse fault in California, site of the 1952 Kern County M=7.3 earthquake, the Lost River normal fault in Idaho, site of the 1983 Borah Peak M=7.0 earthquake, and the Cricket Mountain normal fault in Utah, site of Quaternary slip events. Basin stratigraphy and seismic reflection records are used to profile the structure, and coseismic deformation measured by leveling surveys is used to estimate the fault geometry. To reproduce these structures, we add the deformation associated with the earthquake cycle (the coseismic slip and postseismic relaxation) to the flexure caused by the observed sediment load, treating the crust as a thin elastic plate overlying a fluid substrate. The cumulative deformation is principally dependent on the elastic plate thickness, modestly sensitive to the sediment-substrate density difference, and insensitive to the fluid viscosity for the 4- to 8-Ma structures. We deduce a longterm flexural rigidity of 2–15 × 10 19 Nm; this is equivalent to an elastic plate thickness of 2–4 km for a Young's modulus of 2.5 × 10 10 Nm −2 . This value is found where independent estimates of the elastic thickness from the coherence between surface topography and gravity yield values of about 4 km, but where coseismic fault slip extends to a depth of 10–15 km. Thus much of the seismogenic crust must weaken substantially during the life of active faults, causing the fault-bounded basins to narrow over time.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗

USGS2016

Sex-specific energetics of Pacific walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) during the nursing interval

Habitat use and activity patterns of Pacific walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) have changed with climate-induced reductions in sea ice. Increases in the time active in water could result in negative energy balance, precluding females from sustaining lactation, which could impact population demographics. Little is known about lactation costs in walruses. We examined the energetics of 0–2-yr-old walrus calves by using Bayesian hierarchical models based on longitudinal husbandry records of growth ( n = 6 females and 7 males) and caloric intake ( n = 5 females and 6 males) as a proxy for maternal lactation costs. Males and females had similar growth patterns; mean mass increased from 68 kg at birth to 301 kg by 2 yr. Females had a 2,000 kcal kg −1 higher mass storage (growth) cost than males; females typically synthesize and deposit greater amounts of adipose, which is more energy dense than lean tissue. In contrast, males had higher metabolic (basal and activity) costs, ranging from 600 to 1,800 kcal d −1 greater than similarly sized females; males are typically leaner, and muscle is more metabolically active than adipose. Yet total daily energy requirements (storage plus metabolic components) were similar across sexes, summing to approximately 190,000 kcal over the first month postpartum. Based on these estimates and assuming that 8,103 kcal is recovered from 1 kg of mass loss in adult female walruses, suckling calves could deplete 23 kg of their mother’s body mass over the first month after parturition if none of the lactation costs is met through ingested prey.

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology↗

USGS1998

Sediment delivery to the Gulf of Alaska: Source mechanisms along a glaciated transform margin

Sediment delivery to the Gulf of Alaska occurs via four areally extensive deepwater fans, sourced from grounded tidewater glaciers. During periods of climatic cooling, glaciers cross a narrow shelf and discharge sediment down the continental slope. Because the coastal terrain is dominated by fjords and a narrow, high-relief Pacific watershed, deposition is dominated by channellized point-source fan accumulations, the volumes of which are primarily a function of climate. The sediment distribution is modified by a long-term tectonic translation of the Pacific plate to the north along the transform margin. As a result, the deep-water fans are gradually moved away from the climatically controlled point sources. Sets of abandoned channels record the effect of translation during the Plio-Pleistocene.

Geological Society Special Publication↗

USGS2008

Pollen evidence for late pleistocene bering land bridge environments from Norton Sound, Northeastern Bering Sea, Alaska

After more than half a century of paleoenvironmental investigations, disagreements persist as to the nature of vegetation type and climate of the Bering land bridge (BLB) during the late Wisconsin (Sartan) glacial interval. Few data exist from sites on the former land bridge, now submerged under the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Two hypotheses have emerged during the past decade. The first, based on pollen data from Bering Sea islands and adjacent mainlands of western Alaska and Northeast Siberia, represents the likely predominant vegetation on the Bering land bridge during full-glacial conditions: graminoid-herb-willow tundra vegetation associated with cold, dry winters and cool, dry summer climate. The second hypothesis suggests that dwarf birch-shrub-herb tundra formed a broad belt across the BLB, and that mesic vegetation was associated with cold, snowier winters and moist, cool summers. As a step towards resolving this controversy, a sediment core from Norton Sound, northeastern Bering Sea was radiocarbon dated and analyzed for pollen content. Two pollen zones were identified. The older, bracketed by radiocarbon ages of 29,500 and 11,515 14 C yr BP, contains pollen assemblages composed of grass, sedge, wormwood, willow, and a variety of herb (forb) taxa. These assemblages are interpreted to represent graminoid-herb-willow tundra vegetation that developed under an arid, cool climate regime. The younger pollen zone sediments were deposited about 11,515 14 C yr BP, when rising sea level had begun to flood the BLB. This younger pollen zone contains pollen of birch, willow, heaths, aquatic plants, and spores of sphagnum moss. This is interpreted to represent a Lateglacial dwarf birch-heath-willow-herb tundra vegetation, likely associated with a wetter climate with deeper winter snows, and moist, cool summers. This record supports the first hypothesis, that graminoid-herb-willow tundra vegetation extended into the lowlands of the BLB during full glacial conditions of the late Wisconsin.

Alaska↗

USGS2000

Assessment of mineral resource tracts in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska

Locatable minerals have been produced from the Chugach National Forest (CNF) for nearly 100 years. Past gold production has come from the Kenai Peninsula and the Girdwood, Port Wells, and Valdez areas. Copper and by-product gold and silver have been produced from mines at Ellamar, on Latouche Island, and near Valdez. Many of the past-producing properties were not mined out and contain significant inferred reserves of gold, copper, lead, zinc, and silver. This report outlines mineral resource areas (tracts) that contain both identified and undiscovered mineral resources. These tracts were drawn on the basis of one or more of the following criteria: (1) geochemical anomalies, (2) favorable geologic units, (3) presence of mines, prospects or mineral occurrences, and (4) geophysical anomalies. Bliss (1989) used six mineral deposit models to describe the types of deposits known from the CNF. Of these deposit types, only four are sufficiently known and defined in the CNF to be suitable for consideration in outlining and ranking of mineral resource tracts; these deposit types are: (1) Cyprus-type massive sulfide, (2) Chugach-type low-sulfide goldquartz veins, (3) placer gold, and (4) polymetallic vein. The U.S. Bureau of Mines indicated that most of the inferred mineral reserves in the CNF would not be economic to produce under current prices. Small-scale placer gold operations are a possible exception. Other known resources that have recorded past production (oil, coal, rock, sand, and gravel) are not addressed in this report.

Alaska↗

USGS2008

Summary of aquifer test data for Arkansas – 1940-2006

As demands on Arkansas's ground water continue to increase, decision-makers need all available information to ensure the sustainability of this important natural resource. From 1940 through 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey has conducted over 300 aquifer tests in Arkansas. Much of these data never have been published. This report presents the results from 206 of these aquifer tests from 21 different hydrogeologic units spread across 51 Arkansas counties. Ten of the hydrogeologic units are within the Atlantic Plain of Arkansas and consist mostly of unconsolidated and semi-consolidated deposits. The remaining 11 units are within the Interior Highlands consisting mainly of consolidated rock. Descriptive statistics are reported for each hydrologic unit with two or more tests, including the mean, minimum, median, maximum and standard deviation values for specific capacity, transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and storage coefficient. Hydraulic conductivity values for the major water-bearing hydrogeologic units are estimated because few conductivity values are recorded in the original records. Nearly all estimated hydraulic conductivity values agree with published hydraulic conductivity values based on the hydrogeologic unit material types. Similarly, because few specific capacity values were available in the original aquifer test records, specific capacity values are estimated for individual wells.

Arkansas↗

USGS1998

Geohydrology and simulated ground-water flow in northwestern Elkhart County, Indiana

In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Elkhart, developed a ground-water model of the Elkhart, Indiana, area to determine the avail-ability and source of water at potential new well fields. The modeled area covered 190 square miles of northwestern Elkhart County and a small part of southern Michigan. Three Superfund sites and several other sites in this area are undergoing environmental cleanup. The model would be used to guide the location of well fields so that Superfund sites and environmental cleanup areas would not be within recharge areas for the well fields. The City of Elkhart obtains its water supply from two aquifers separated by a generally continuous confining unit. The upper aquifer is composed primarily of sand and gravel of glacial origin. Thickness of the upper aquifer ranges from 0 to 116 feet and averages 47 feet. The lower aquifer is composed of sand and gravel with interbedded lenses of silt and clay. Thickness of the lower aquifer ranges from 1 to 335 feet and averages 35 feet. The intervening confining unit is composed of silt and clay with interbedded sand and gravel; the confining unit ranges from 0 to 177 feet, with an average thickness of 27 feet. Flow through the aquifers is generally horizontal vertically downward from the upper aquifer, through the confining unit, and into the lower aquifer, except where flow is vertically upward at the St. Joseph River and other large streams. The hydraulic characteristics of the aquifers and confining unit were estimated by analyzing aquifer-test data from well drillers? logs and by calibration of the model. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the upper aquifer is 170 feet per day within about 1 mile of the St. Joseph and Elkhart Rivers and 370 feet per day at distances greater than about 1 mile. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the lower aquifer is 370 feet per day throughout the modeled area, with the exception of an area near the center of the modeled area where the horizontal hydraulic conductivity is 170 feet per day. Transmissivity of the lower aquifer increases generally from southwest to northeast; transmissivity values range from near 0 where the lower aquifer is absent to 57,000 square feet per day and average about 8,100 square feet per day. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of the confining unit is 0.07 feet per day; the vertical conductivity of the streambeds commonly is 1.0 foot per day and ranges from 0.05 foot per day to 50 feet per day. The areal recharge rate to the outwash deposits was determined by a base-flow separation technique to be 16 inches per year, and the areal recharge rate to the till was assumed to be 4 inches per year. A two-layer digital model was used to simulate flow in the ground-water system. The model was calibrated on the basis of historical water-use data, water-level records, and gain/loss data for streams during May and June 1979. The model was recalibrated with water-use data and water-level records from 1988. For 1979 data, 49 percent of the inflow to the model area is from precipitation and 46 percent is ground-water inflow across the model boundaries. Most of the ground-water inflow across the model boundary is from the north and east, which corresponds to high values of transmissivity?as high as 57,000 feet squared per day?in the model layers in the northern and eastern areas. Eighty-two percent of the ground-water discharge is to the streams; 5 percent of the ground-water discharge is to wells. Source areas and flow paths to the City of Elkhart public well fields are affected by the location of streams and the geology in the area. Flow to the North Well Field originates north-west of the well field, forms relatively straight flow paths, and moves southeast toward the well field and the St. Joseph River. Flow to the South Well Field begins mostly in the out-wash along Yellow Creek south of the well field, moves northward, and t

Indiana↗

USGS1999

Historical land cover changes in the Great Lakes Region

Two different methods of reconstructing historical vegetation change, drawing on General Land Office (GLO) surveys and fossil pollen deposits, are demonstrated by using data from the Great Lakes region. Both types of data are incorporated into landscape-scale analyses and presented through geographic information systems. Results from the two methods reinforce each other and allow reconstructions of past landscapes at different time scales. Changes to forests of the Great Lakes region during the last 150 years were far greater than the changes recorded over the preceding 1,000 years. Over the last 150 years, the total amount of forested land in the Great Lakes region declined by over 40%, and much of the remaining forest was converted to early successional forest types as a result of extensive logging. These results demonstrate the utility of using GLO survey data in conjunction with other data sources to reconstruct a generalized 'presettlement' condition and assess changes in landcover.

Biological Science Report↗

USGS2025

Depth of magma crystallization and fluid exsolution beneath the porphyry-skarn Cu deposits at Santa Rita and Hanover-Fierro, New Mexico, USA

The depth level at which porphyry Cu–forming magmas fractionated and exsolved mineralizing fluids is actively debated. In the classic model, extensive magma fractionation occurs in large, upper crustal magma chambers, and concomitant fluid exsolution leads to forceful expulsion of residual magmas in the form of porphyry dikes, stocks, and breccia pipes, which subsequently serve as pathways for the mineralizing fluids. In contrast, some recent studies highlighting the role of deep crustal magma fractionation in the production of fertile magmas essentially deny the existence of upper crustal magma chambers at the time of mineralization. To address this, we conducted a detailed thermobarometric investigation of 13 intermediate to felsic, porphyritic intrusive rocks related to porphyry-skarn Cu mineralization at Santa Rita and Hanover-Fierro, New Mexico, United States, representing two premineralization magmas (61–60 Ma), seven synmineralization magmas (60–58 Ma), and four late- to postmineralization magmas (58–57 Ma). For each sample, the pressure of last magma crystallization before final magma ascent to the current exposure level was reconstructed based on Al-in-hornblende barometry of small hornblende inclusions trapped within quartz phenocrysts and through titanium-in-quartz (TitaniQ) thermobarometry of the host quartz phenocrysts themselves. Since quartz is one of the last crystallizing magmatic minerals, and no significant phenocryst growth could have occurred in small dikes and stocks after final magma emplacement, quartz phenocrysts and their contained hornblende inclusions record the depth of last magma crystallization before final magma ascent. When present, hornblende phenocrysts and hornblende inclusions within other major phenocrysts were also analyzed. Both quartz and hornblende barometers return consistent average pressures of 3.2 ± 0.4 kbar for the entire suite of pre- to postmineralization magmas, corresponding to depths of 11 to 14 km. The synmineralization magmas return even more consistent average pressures of 3.1 ± 0.2 kbar, corresponding to a depth of 12 ± 1 km. The volume of the mineralizing porphyry dikes and stocks at the emplacement level is far too small to have provided all the fluids and metals required to form the observed ore deposits. Therefore, the majority of the ore-forming fluids must have originated from the magmas that crystallized at 12 ± 1 km depth. The ore deposits, conversely, formed at ~5-km paleodepth. This implies that most of the mineralizing fluids traveled an average vertical distance of ~7 km from their magmatic source to the eventual site of ore precipitation. The relatively unaltered nature and low veining degree of deeper parts of mineralized porphyry dikes and stocks suggest that the fluid transport through these intrusive bodies occurred mostly at near-solidus conditions by means of fluid percolation along grain boundaries. In summary, our results suggest that (1) a large, upper crustal pluton exists ~7 km beneath the Santa Rita and Hanover-Fierro deposits; (2) abundant phenocryst crystallization occurred at this depth level; and (3) this pluton was the main source for the exsolution of ore-forming fluids. However, the investigated rocks have elevated whole-rock Sr/Y ratios, indicating magma fractionation at deep crustal levels. As a result, our preferred model is a combination of the two end-member models introduced above, with most magma fractionation having occurred in the deep crust and with residual, intermediate to felsic melts having ascended and accumulated at 11 to 14 km paleodepth, where they continued to crystallize with comparatively little crystal-liquid separation, before some of these magmas ascended further to shallow levels and quenched to porphyries.

New Mexico↗

USGS1996

Identifying water-quality trends in the Trinity River, Texas, USA, 1969-1992, using sediment cores from Lake Livingston

Chemical analyses were done on cores of bottom sediment from three locations in Lake Livingston, a reservoir on the Trinity River in east Texas to identify trends in water quality in the Trinity River using the chemical record preserved in bottom sediments trapped by the reservoir. Sediment cores spanned the period from 1969, when the reservoir was impounded, to 1992, when the cores were collected. Chemical concentrations in reservoir sediment samples were compared to concentrations for 14 streambed sediment samples from the Trinity River Basin and to reported concentrations for soils in the eastern United States and shale. These comparisons indicate that sediments deposited in Lake Livingston are representative of the environmental setting of Lake Livingston within the Trinity River Basin. Vertical changes in concentrations within sediment cores indicate temporal trends of decreasing concentrations of lead, sodium, barium, and total DDT (DDT plus its metabolites DDD and DDE) in the Trinity River. Possible increasing temporal trends are indicated for chlordane and dieldrin. Each sediment-derived trend is related to trends in water quality in the Trinity River or known changes in environmental factors in its drainage basin or both.

Texas↗

USGS1997

Preliminary results of the first scientific Drilling on Lake Baikal, Buguldeika site, southeastern Siberia

The Baikal Drilling Project (BDP) is a multinational effort to investigate the paleoclimatic history and tectonic evolution of the Baikal sedimentary basin during the Late Neogene. In March 1993 the Baikal drilling system was successfuly deployed from a barge frozen into position over a topographic high, termed the Buguldeika saddle, in the southern basin of Lake Baikal. The BDP-93 scientific team, made up of Russian, American and Japanese scientists, successfully recovered the first long (>100 m) hydraulic piston cores from two holes in 354 m of water. High quality cores of 98 m (Hole 1) and 102 m (Hole 2), representing sedimentation over the last 500,000 years, were collected in 78 mm diameter plastic liners with an average recovery of 72% and 90%, respectively. Magnetic susceptibility logging reveals an excellent hole-to-hole correlation. In this report the scientific team describes the preliminary analytical results from BDP-93 hole 1 cores. Radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry provides an accurate chronology for the upper portion of Hole 1. Detailed lithologic characteristics, rock magnetic properties and inorganic element distributions show a significant change to the depositional environment occuring at 50 m subbottom depth, approximately 250,000 BP. This change may be due to uplift and rotation of the horst block in the Buguldeika saddle. The sedimentary section above 50 m is pelitic with varve-like laminae, whereas the section below 50 m contains a high proportion of sand and gravel horizons often organized into turbidite sequences. Accordingly, high resolution seismic records reveal a change in sonic velocity at this depth. It is inferred that sedimentation prior to 250 ka BP was from the west via the Buguldeika river system. After 250 ka BP the Buguldeika saddle reflects an increase in hemipelagic sediments admixed with fine-grained material from the Selenga River drainage basin, east of Lake Baikal. Variations in the spore-pollen assemblage, diatoms, biogenic silica content, rock magnetic properties, clay mineralogy and organic carbon in the upper 50 m of BDP-93-1 reveal a detailed record of climate change over approximately the last 250,000 years. These variables alternate in a pattern characteristic of glacial/interglacial climatic fluctuations. The present age model suggests that the climate signal recorded in Lake Baikal sediments is similar to Late Quaternary signals recorded in Chinese loess sections and in marine sediments.

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