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Tracey J. Felger

Publications and source records attributed to Tracey J. Felger.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Chemical characteristics of ground-water discharge along the south rim of Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 2000-2001

Springs flowing from the south rim of Grand Canyon are an important resource of Grand Canyon National Park, offering refuge to endemic and exotic terrestrial wildlife species and maintaining riparian areas. Population growth on the Coconino Plateau has increased the demand for additional development of ground-water resources, and such development could reduce spring discharge and affect the sustainability of riparian areas within the park. In addition, springs are an important source of drinking water for hikers and are culturally and economically important to Native Americans living in the region. Water samples were collected from May 2000 to September 2001 from 20 spring and creek sites that discharge water from the Redwall-Muav Limestone aquifer along the south rim of Grand Canyon. Sample collection sites were described and samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, trace elements, radioactivity, and selected isotopes, and potential sources of ground-water flow to the springs. Rock samples representing the major stratigraphic units of Grand Canyon were collected near the Bright Angel Fault and analyzed for mineralogy, strontium-87/strontium-86, and carbon-13/carbon-12. The chemical composition of water samples collected from a given spring did not vary appreciably over the course of the study. Although water at each spring had a temporally constant composition, the composition was chemically distinct from that of every other spring sampled, indicating spatial variability in the ground-water composition. Most samples had a calcium magnesium bicarbonate composition; a few had a substantial sulfate component. Concentrations of arsenic, nitrate, selenium, uranium, and gross alpha approached or exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Levels in water discharging from some springs. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions varied little among samples, and for most sites the isotopic data plot close to the global meteoric water line or below the local meteoric water line. Isotopic enrichment indicates fractionation due to evaporation occurs at some sites. The evaporative process may occur prior to recharge or post-discharge. Flow paths are differentiated between the eastern part of the study area where strontium-87/strontium-86 values for water from springs and creeks are more radiogenic than strontium-87/strontium-86 values for water that discharges from sites farther west. Tritium and carbon isotope analyses indicate that residence time of ground-water discharge from springs and creeks ranges from less than 50 years to about 3,400 years. Water with a residence time of less than 50 years is absent at several sites. Discharge of most springs and creeks is a mixture of younger and older waters.

Arizona↗

Geologic Map of Pipe Spring National Monument and the Western Kaibab-Paiute Indian Reservation, Mohave County, Arizona

The digital map publication, compiled from previously published and unpublished data and new mapping by the author, represents the general distribution of surficial and bedrock geology in Pipe Spring National Monument and vicinity, including the following 1:24,000-scale U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangles: Moccasin, Kaibab, Pipe Valley, and Pipe Spring. Together with the accompanying geologic description pamphlet, it presents current knowledge of the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database identifies map units that are classified by age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the USGS. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:24,000 or smaller. Note: The extent of this database conforms to the boundaries of the four quadrangles listed above; however, the topographic base maps produced by the USGS for the Moccasin and Kaibab quadrangles extend slightly to the north of the 37-degree latitude line that should define the northern limit of these 7.5- minute quadrangles. Thus, if this database is overlain with a digital file of quadrangle boundaries there is a mismatch.

Scientific Investigations Map↗

Searching for an electrical-grade geothermal resource in Northern Arizona to help geopower the west

The U.S Department of Energy s "Geopowering the West" initiative seeks to double the number of states (currently 4) that generate geothermal electric power over the next few years. Some states, like New Mexico and Oregon, have plentiful and conspicuous geothermal manifestations, and are thus likely to further DOE's goal relatively easily. Other states, including Arizona, demonstrate less geothermal potential, but nevertheless have sites worthy of additional investigation. The Arizona site with greatest potential is near Sunset Crater, a basaltic volcano less than 1,000 years old several kilometers northeast of Flagstaff. Several silicic volcanoes nearby are young enough to have still-hot intrusive roots. Moreover, there is geophysical evidence for magma or hot rock in middle to lower crust beneath the area. A high level of interest in this area by the geothermal industry during the 1970s waned because surface thermal indicators, such as high heat flow, hot springs, and fumaroles are absent. The absence of these features is probably the result of a well-documented deep and pervasive regional aquifer, which likely creates a thermal barrier to the rise of hydrothermal activity from depth, Surface based geological and geophysical studies are under way to evaluate further the geothermal potential of the area and to locate a site for a drill hole to explore for a hydrothermal system beneath the ground-water barrier.

California, Nevada↗

Surficial Geologic Map of The Loop and Druid Arch Quadrangles, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

This geologic map is a product of a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. National Park Service to provide geologic information about this part of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. This digital map database contains bedrock data from previously published data that has been modified by the author. New mapping of the surficial deposits represents the general distribution of surficial deposits of the Druid Arch and The Loop 7.5-minute quadrangles.

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗

Eruptions of Lassen Peak, California, 1914 to 1917

On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak, California, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east. This explosion was the most powerful in a 1914–17 series of eruptions that were the last to occur in the Cascades before the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington. Recent work by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Park Service is shedding new light on these eruptions.

California↗