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At least 1,639 records · Page 91Linked to original sources
USGS2005

Applying petrophysical models to radar travel time and electrical resistivity tomograms: Resolution-dependent limitations

[1] Geophysical imaging has traditionally provided qualitative information about geologic structure; however, there is increasing interest in using petrophysical models to convert tomograms to quantitative estimates of hydrogeologic, mechanical, or geochemical parameters of interest (e.g., permeability, porosity, water content, and salinity). Unfortunately, petrophysical estimation based on tomograms is complicated by limited and variable image resolution, which depends on (1) measurement physics (e.g., electrical conduction or electromagnetic wave propagation), (2) parameterization and regularization, (3) measurement error, and (4) spatial variability. We present a framework to predict how core‐scale relations between geophysical properties and hydrologic parameters are altered by the inversion, which produces smoothly varying pixel‐scale estimates. We refer to this loss of information as “correlation loss.” Our approach upscales the core‐scale relation to the pixel scale using the model resolution matrix from the inversion, random field averaging, and spatial statistics of the geophysical property. Synthetic examples evaluate the utility of radar travel time tomography (RTT) and electrical‐resistivity tomography (ERT) for estimating water content. This work provides (1) a framework to assess tomograms for geologic parameter estimation and (2) insights into the different patterns of correlation loss for ERT and RTT. Whereas ERT generally performs better near boreholes, RTT performs better in the interwell region. Application of petrophysical models to the tomograms in our examples would yield misleading estimates of water content. Although the examples presented illustrate the problem of correlation loss in the context of near‐surface geophysical imaging, our results have clear implications for quantitative analysis of tomograms for diverse geoscience applications.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2012

Reconciliation of stress and structural histories of the Tharsis region of Mars

We present a new compilation of the structural and stratigraphic evolution of the Tharsis region of Mars that incorporates recent advances in understanding its stratigraphy, and we introduce a lithospheric deformation model that can account for the observations. The first period in the formation of Tharsis occurred in Late Noachian/Early Hesperian time with the deposition of volcanic plains materials throughout the surrounding highlands (e.g., Lunae Planum) and on the Tharsis rise (which includes the giant volcanoes and surrounding, elevated lava fields). Extensive radial normal faulting occurred on the rise, locally extending outward at Valles Marineris and Tempe Terra, and concentric wrinkle ridges formed along the edge of the rise. This regional deformation appears to have been modulated by a global compressional stress field due to rapid planetary cooling and contraction. The second period occurred during the Late Hesperian/Amazonian with Tharsis volcanism centered on the rise and radial extensional deformation that extended from the center of the rise for thousands of kilometers. We propose a model in which the lithosphere beneath Tharsis consists of a thin elastic crustal cap on the rise that is mechanically detached from the strong upper mantle by a volcanically thickened, hot, weak lower crust. These layers merge into a single cooler, strong lithospheric layer around the edges of the rise. This model is capable of generating large extensional hoop stresses throughout much of the western hemisphere, in agreement with observations. The tectonic interpretation of the stresses predicted by this model requires the reconciliation of extensional strain within narrow grabens and compressional strain within wrinkle ridges with (1) processes in the deeper lithosphere, (2) the sparsity of strike-slip faults, and (3) other global or locally important stress fields. Stresses predicted by global models affect the entire thickness of the lithosphere, and they can be reconciled with narrow, closely spaced grabens that accommodate large amounts of extensional strain in the upper few kilometers of the lithosphere if the grabens are underlain and kinematically linked with dikes or other tension cracks, such as hydrofractures. Deeper levels of the lithosphere can accommodate this strain by elastic expansion if grabens are spaced far apart (many tens to hundreds of kilometers). Mechanical considerations suggest that deformation on faults beneath wrinkle ridges could extend through a significant thickness of the brittle crust. A number of factors, including stresses generated by the addition of overburden, intrusion of dikes, weakness of geologic materials under extension, and the laterally constrained nature of a single lithospheric plate, may have inhibited the formation of strike-slip faults on Mars. Stresses generated from the removal of overburden could have augmented planetwide wrinkle ridge formation during the Late Noachian/Early Hesperian and in Kasei Valles and western Chryse Planitia during the Early Amazonian. The nonuniform distribution of tectonic features around Tharsis can be understood in terms of the concentration of regional stresses and strain near weaker volcanotectonic centers.

Journal of Geophysical Research↗
USGS2014

Investigation of the high-frequency attenuation parameter, κ (kappa), from aftershocks of the 2010 M w 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake

The Bío Bío region of Chile experienced a vigorous aftershock sequence following the 2010 February 27 M w 8.8 Maule earthquake. The immediate aftershock sequence was captured by two temporary seismic deployments: the Quake Catcher Network Rapid Aftershock Mobilization Program (QCN RAMP) and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology CHile Aftershock Mobilization Program (IRIS CHAMP). Here, we use moderate to large aftershocks ( M L ≥ 4.0) occurring between 2010 March 1 and June 30 recorded by QCN RAMP and IRIS CHAMP stations to determine the spectral decay parameter, kappa ( κ ). First, we compare waveforms and κ estimates from the lower-resolution QCN stations to the IRIS CHAMP stations to ensure the QCN data are of sufficient quality. We find that QCN stations provide reasonable estimates of κ in comparison to traditional seismic sensors and provide valuable additional observations of local ground motion variation. Using data from both deployments, we investigate the variation in κ for the region to determine if κ is influenced primarily by local geological structure, path attenuation, or source properties (e.g. magnitude, mechanism and depth). Estimates of κ for the Bío Bío region range from 0.0022 to 0.0704 s with a mean of 0.0295 s and are in good agreement with κ values previously reported for similar tectonic environments. κ correlates with epicentral distance and, to a lesser degree, with source magnitude. We find little to no correlation between the site kappa, κ 0 , and mapped geology, although we were only able to compare the data to a low-resolution map of surficial geology. These results support an increasing number of studies that suggest κ observations can be attributed to a combination of source, path and site properties; additionally, measured κ are often highly scattered making it difficult to separate the contribution from each of these factors. Thus, our results suggest that contributions from the site, path and source should be carefully considered when interpreting κ values.

Bío Bío Region↗
USGS2003

Athena Mars rover science investigation

Each Mars Exploration Rover carries an integrated suite of scientific instruments and tools called the Athena science payload. The primary objective of the Athena science investigation is to explore two sites on the Martian surface where water may once have been present, and to assess past environmental conditions at those sites and their suitability for life. The remote sensing portion of the payload uses a mast called the Pancam Mast Assembly (PMA) that provides pointing for two instruments: the Panoramic Camera (Pancam), and the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES). Pancam provides high-resolution, color, stereo imaging, while Mini-TES provides spectral cubes at mid-infrared wavelengths. For in-situ study, a five degree-of-freedom arm called the Instrument Deployment Device (IDD) carries four more tools: a Microscopic Imager (MI) for close-up imaging, an Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) for elemental chemistry, a Mo??ssbauer Spectrometer (MB) for the mineralogy of Fe-bearing materials, and a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) for removing dusty and weathered surfaces and exposing fresh rock underneath. The payload also includes magnets that allow the instruments to study the composition of magnetic Martian materials. All of the Athena instruments have undergone extensive calibration, both individually and using a set of geologic reference materials that are being measured with all the instruments. Using a MER-like rover and payload in a number of field settings, we have devised operations processes that will enable us to use the MER rovers to formulate and test scientific hypotheses concerning past environmental conditions and habitability at the landing sites. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS1989

Investigations of SPOT cartographic applications in the U.S. Geological Survey

The US Geological Survey has a longstanding commitment to the advancement of the technology and applications of remotely sensed data from civilian satellite systems. In the past, research based on satellite data was primarily directed toward natural resource and land use applications rather than cartographic applications. The availability of high-resolution, steroscopic data from the sensors on SPOT provides new opportunities for cartographic applications. The potential applications include production of satellite image and topographic maps, and generation of digital elevation data.

CISM Journal ACSGC↗
USGS2001

Strain accumulation and rotation in the Eastern California Shear Zone

Although the Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ) (strike ∼N25°W) does not quite coincide with a small circle drawn about the Pacific-North America pole of rotation, trilateration and GPS measurements demonstrate that the motion within the zone corresponds to right-lateral simple shear across a vertical plane (strike N33°W±5°) roughly parallel to the tangent to that local small circle (strike ∼N40°W). If the simple shear is released by slip on faults subparallel to the shear zone, the accumulated rotation is also released, leaving no secular rotation. South of the Garlock fault the principal faults (e.g., Calico-Blackwater fault) strike ∼N40°W, close enough to the strike of the vertical plane across which maximum right-lateral shear accumulates to almost wholly accommodate that accumulation of both strain and rotation by right-lateral slip. North of the Garlock fault dip slip as well as strike slip on the principal faults (strike ∼N20°W) is required to accommodate the simple shear accumulation. In both cases the accumulated rotation is released with the shear strain. The Garlock fault, which transects the ECSZ, is not offset by north-northwest striking faults nor, despite geological evidence for long-term left-lateral slip, does it appear at the present time to be accumulating left-lateral simple shear strain across the fault due to slip at depth. Rather the motion is explained by right-lateral simple shear across the orthogonal ECSZ. Left-lateral slip on the Garlock fault will release the shear strain accumulating there but would augment the accumulating rotation, resulting in a secular clockwise rotation rate ∼80 nrad yr −1 (4.6° Myr −1 ).

California↗
USGS2006

Minerals and mineral relationship of the clay minerals

The invitation to be the Edward Orton, Jr., Fellow Lecturer of the American Ceramic Society for 1945 is a very great honor and a privilege which one interested in the mineralogy of clays must heartily appreciate. Dr. Orton was a geologist as well as a founder of this Society, and no doubt in issuing this invitation you had in mind the maintenance of this historic relationship. Those of us who follow him cannot add to that relationship, but I hope that I can help to foster it. Perhaps not all geologists know of this common ground between ceramics and geology as you do, and no doubt you would have me remind my geologic colleagues of this and of the mutual contributions which its maintenance entails. Another common bond of interest is that ceramists have made use of mineralogic and petrographic techniques to an extent not matched in any other applied science. In particular, they have utilized the petrographic microscope, and ceramists and mineralogists alike have found in X rays a wonderful new method of research. Clays, the subject of this lecture, should provide a common meeting ground and one which no doubt would win the hearty approval of Dr. Orton.

Journal of the American Ceramic Society↗
USGS2011

Adaptive management in the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System: Science-management partnerships for conservation delivery

Adaptive management is an approach to recurrent decision making in which uncertainty about the decision is reduced over time through comparison of outcomes predicted by competing models against observed values of those outcomes. The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a large land management program charged with making natural resource management decisions, which often are made under considerable uncertainty, severe operational constraints, and conditions that limit ability to precisely carry out actions as intended. The NWRS presents outstanding opportunities for the application of adaptive management, but also difficult challenges. We describe two cooperative programs between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to implement adaptive management at scales ranging from small, single refuge applications to large, multi-refuge, multi-region projects. Our experience to date suggests three important attributes common to successful implementation: a vigorous multi-partner collaboration , practical and informative decision framework components , and a sustained commitment to the process. Administrators in both agencies should consider these attributes when developing programs to promote the use and acceptance of adaptive management in the NWRS.

Journal of Environmental Management↗
USGS2007

The landsat image mosaic of the Antarctica Web Portal

People believe what they can see. The Poles exist as a frozen dream to most people. The International Polar Year wants to break the ice (so to speak), open up the Poles to the general public, support current polar research, and encourage new research projects. The IPY officially begins in March, 2007. As part of this effort, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), are developing three Landsat mosaics of Antarctica and an Antarctic Web Portal with a Community site and an online map viewer. When scientists are able to view the entire scope of polar research, they will be better able to collaborate and locate the resources they need. When the general public more readily sees what is happening in the polar environments, they will understand how changes to the polar areas affect everyone.

Data Science Journal↗
USGS1982

Assessment of models proposed for the 1981 revision of the IGRF

For the second revision of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF), the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U. K. Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS), and the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) submitted proposed models of the Earth's main magnetic field at 1965.0, 1970.0, 1975.0, and 1980.0, and its secular variation during 1980-1985. We assessed the proposed models by comparing them with annual mean values from worldwide magnetic observatories, data for 1978-1980 from 63 U. S. magnetic repeat stations, and rates-of-change values for worldwide magnetic observatories for 1965-1985 that were derived from straight lines fitted to annual means for five-year intervals. We also mutually compared the 1980 models.

Journal of Geomagnetism & Geoelectricity↗
USGS2016

Tomographic image of a seismically active volcano: Mammoth Mountain, California

High-resolution tomographic P wave, S wave, and V P / V S velocity structure models are derived for Mammoth Mountain, California, using phase data from the Northern California Seismic Network and a temporary deployment of broadband seismometers. An anomalous volume (5.1 × 10 9 to 5.9 × 10 10 m 3 ) of low P and low S wave velocities is imaged beneath Mammoth Mountain, extending from near the surface to a depth of ∼2 km below sea level. We infer that the reduction in seismic wave velocities is due to the presence of CO 2 distributed in oblate spheroid pores with mean aspect ratio α = 1.6 × 10 −3 to 7.9 × 10 −3 (crack-like pores) and mean gas volume fraction ϕ = 8.1 × 10 −4 to 3.4 × 10 −3 . The pore density parameter κ = 3 ϕ /(4π α ) = na 3 =0.11, where n is the number of pores per cubic meter and a is the mean pore equatorial radius. The total mass of CO 2 is estimated to be 4.6 × 10 9 to 1.9 × 10 11 kg. The local geological structure indicates that the CO 2 contained in the pores is delivered to the surface through fractures controlled by faults and remnant foliation of the bedrock beneath Mammoth Mountain. The total volume of CO 2 contained in the reservoir suggests that given an emission rate of 500 tons day −1 , the reservoir could supply the emission of CO 2 for ∼25–1040 years before depletion. Continued supply of CO 2 from an underlying magmatic system would significantly prolong the existence of the reservoir.

California↗
USGS1997

Uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains and the bedrock beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet

In recent years the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), the largest noncontractional mountain belt in the world, have become the focus of modelers who explained their uplift by a variety of isostatic and thermal mechanisms. A problem with these models is a lack of available data to compare with model predictions. We report here the results of a 312-km-long geophysical traverse conducted in 1993/1994 in the hinterland of the TAM. Using detailed subglacial topography and gravity measurements, we confirm the origin of the TAM as a flexural uplift of the edge of East Antarctica. Using an elastic model with a free edge, we can jointly fit the topography and the gravity with a plate having an elastic thickness of 85±15 km and a preuplift elevation of 700±50 m for East Antarctica. Using a variety of evidence, we argue that the uplift is coincident with a relatively minor tectonic event of transtensional motion between East and West Antarctica during the Eocene rather than the Late Cretaceous rifting event that created the Ross Embayment. We suggest that this transtensional motion caused the continuous plate to break, which created an escarpment that significantly increased the rates of erosion and exhumation. Results from the geophysical traverse also extend our knowledge of the bedrock geology from the exposures within the TAM to the ice covered interior. Our interpretation suggests that the Ferrar flood basalts extend at least 100 km westward under the ice. The Beacon Supergroup of Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments thins gradually under the ice and its reconstructed thickness is reminiscent of profiles of foreland basins. Finally, there is no indication in the gravity field for an incomplete rebound due to significant melting of the East Antarctic ice sheet since the last glacial period.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2012

Three-dimensional gravity modeling of the geologic structure of Long Valley caldera

A 48-mGal gravity low coincides with Long Valley caldera and is mainly attributed to low-density caldera fill. Gravity measurements by Unocal Geothermal have been integrated with U.S. Geological Survey data, vastly improving gravity station coverage throughout the caldera. A strong regional gravity trend is mainly attributed to isostasy. A “best fitting” (based on regional control of basement densities) Airy-Heiskanen isostatic model was used for the regional correction. A three-dimensional, multiple-unit gravity modeling program with iterative capabilities was developed to model the residual gravity. The density structure of Long Valley caldera and vicinity was modeled with 22 discrete density units, most of which were based on geologic units. Information from drill hole lithologies, surface geology, and structural geology interpretations constrain the model. Some important points revealed by the three-dimensional gravity modeling are that (1) the volume of ejected magma associated with the Bishop Tuff eruption is greater than previously thought, (2) the caldera structure is strongly influenced by precaldera topography and the extensions of major, active faults, (3) the main west ring fracture is coincident with the Inyo Domes-Mono Craters fracture system, (4) a relatively low-density region probably underlies the caldera, and (5) a silicic magma chamber may underlie Devils Postpile.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗
USGS2009

Review of the geologic history of the Pontchartrain Basin, northern Gulf of Mexico

The Pontchartrain Basin extends over 44,000 km² from northern Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico and includes one of the largest and most important estuarine systems in the United States. The basin supports a variety of environments, from woodlands in the north to wetlands in the south, and a growing socioeconomic infrastructure that has led to rapid development of the southern half of the basin over the past two centuries. To properly administer this infrastructure, managers need to understand the complex geologic framework of the basin and how it will respond to continued sea-level rise, variable rates and magnitudes of land subsidence, and human alteration of the landscape. This article summarizes the body of work that describes the regional evolution and stratigraphic architecture of the Pontchartrain Basin. The northern two-thirds of the basin is underlain by a stratigraphy of undifferentiated sands and clays deposited throughout the Plio-Pleistocene by glacially influenced rivers. These deposits were weathered and incised by rivers during sea-level low stands, forming a series of terraces that increase with age from south to north. The southern third of the basin is composed of estuaries formed during the Holocene, while shoreline processes created a series of sandy barriers that restricted communication to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River completed the geologic development of the basin by building a sequence of subdelta lobes along this southern margin over the past 5000 years, further sealing it from the open Gulf of Mexico. Presently, the modern Mississippi River bypasses the estuarine environment and only contributes sediments during flood events when the river overtops the levee system. Sea-level rise, subsidence within the Holocene delta-plain deposits, and movement along numerous fault systems are the active natural processes that continue to affect basin geomorphology.

Louisiana, Mississippi↗
USGS2009

Variation in strontium isotope ratios of archaeological fauna in the Midwestern United States: a preliminary study

Strontium isotope values ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) in bone and tooth enamel have been used increasingly to identify non-local individuals within prehistoric human populations worldwide. Archaeological research in the Midwestern United States has increasingly highlighted the role of population movement in affecting interregional cultural change. However, the comparatively low level of geologic variation in the Midwestern United States might suggest a corresponding low level of strontium variation, and calls into question the sensitivity of strontium isotopes to identify non-local individuals in this region. Using strontium isotopes of archaeological fauna, we explore the degree of variability in strontium ratios across this region. Our results demonstrate measurable variation in strontium ratios and indicate the potential of strontium analysis for addressing questions of origin and population movement in the Midwestern United States.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio,↗
USGS2012

Introduction and digest to the Special Issue on Chemical Effects of Water on the Deformation and Strengths of Rocks

The important role of pore pressure in promoting such brittle processes as cataclasis, hydraulic fracturing, large‐scale faulting, and earthquakes within the crust is widely accepted in geology and geophysics [, 1957; , 1959; , 1958; ., 1963; , 1968; ., 1968; ., 1976; , 1973, 1980; , 1981]. Provided that fluid pressure is fully communicated with rock pore space, the effective normal stresses that control crack growth, macroscopic fracture, and friction are reduced by the magnitude of the fluid pressui'e. Beyond this physical effect of pore fluids, there are chemical effects of water on the strength of rocks that are also important in governing differential stresseg and flow in the continental crust. Some of these chemical effects of water on rock deformation have long been recognized.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2019

Updating estimates of low-streamflow statistics to account for possible trends

Accurate estimators of streamflow statistics are critical to the design, planning, and management of water resources. Given increasing evidence of trends in low-streamflow, new approaches to estimating low-streamflow statistics are needed. Here we investigate simple approaches to select a recent subset of the low-flow record to update the commonly used statistic of 7 Q 10, the annual minimum 7-day streamflow exceeded in 9 out of 10 years on average. Informed by low-streamflow records at 174 US Geological Survey streamgages, Monte Carlo simulation experiments evaluate competing approaches. We find that a strategy which estimates 7 Q 10 using the most recent 30 years of record when a trend is detected, reduces error and bias in 7 Q 10 estimators compared to use of the full record. This simple rule-based approach has potential as the basis for a framework for updating frequency-based statistics in the context of possible trends.

Hydrologic Sciences Journal↗
USGS2017

Delivering integrated HAZUS-MH flood loss analyses and flood inundation maps over the Web

Catastrophic flooding is responsible for more loss of life and damages to property than any other natural hazard. Recently developed flood inundation mapping technologies make it possible to view the extent and depth of flooding on the land surface over the Internet; however, by themselves these technologies are unable to provide estimates of losses to property and infrastructure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA's) HAZUS-MH software is extensively used to conduct flood loss analyses in the United States, providing a nationwide database of population and infrastructure at risk. Unfortunately, HAZUS-MH requires a dedicated Geographic Information System (GIS) workstation and a trained operator, and analyses are not adapted for convenient delivery over the Web. This article describes a cooperative effort by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and FEMA to make HAZUS-MH output GIS and Web compatible and to integrate these data with digital flood inundation maps in USGS’s newly developed Inundation Mapping Web Portal. By running the computationally intensive HAZUS-MH flood analyses offline and converting the output to a Web-GIS compatible format, detailed estimates of flood losses can now be delivered to anyone with Internet access, thus dramatically increasing the availability of these forecasts to local emergency planners and first responders.

Journal of Emergency Management↗