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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
USGS1991

Geographic variation in sea otters, Enhydra lutris

Univariate and multivariate analyses of 20 skull characters of 304 adult sea otters from throughout the geographic range strongly suggest that three subspecies should be recognized. The nominate form, Enhydra lutris lutris , occurs from the Kuril Islands north to the Commander Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Individuals of E. l. lutris are characterized by large size and wide skulls with short nasal bones. E. l. nereis is found along the California coast and off San Nicolas Island, where the species recently has been reintroduced from coastal California. Specimens of E. l. nereis have narrow skulls with a long rostrum and small teeth, and usually lack the characteristic notch in the postorbital region found in most specimens of the other two subspecies. A new subspecies described by Don E. Wilson in this report, occurs throughout the Aleutian Islands and southward in the eastern Pacific to Washington. Specimens of the new subspecies are intermediate in size in most, but not all, characters and have longer mandibles than either of the other two subspecies.

Journal of Mammalogy↗
USGS1971

Blood cell lineage in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus (Pisces: Petromyzontidae)

Blood cell types of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus , are described and identified and the lineage of mature circulating cells in peripheral blood is traced to blast cells in the hematopoietic fat body. The fat body appears to be the phylogenetic precursor of bone marrow in higher forms, since blood cells originate and begin maturation in this tissue. Experimental animals were injected first with a hematopoietic stimulant and then (at an experimentally determined time) with pertussis vaccine to release proliferated blood cells into peripheral blood. Peripheral blood for smears was collected by cardiac exsanguination; hematopoietic tissue was extirpated for imprints; and leucocyte preparations were made by a special technique. Blood cells of the sea lamprey are apparently products of at least four distinct blast cells, each of which has a 'one end' maturation process. Results of this investigation support the polyphyletic theory of blood cell formation.

Copeia↗
USGS1979

Relating residue in raccoon feces to food consumed

Feeding tests were conducted with captive raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) to permit more meaningful interpretation of food habit data obtained from fecal analysis. Ten diverse types of natural foods were offered in 20 tests. Digestibility coefficients were calculated that ranged from 3.6 for dry sunflowers, where considerable residue was recovered, to infinity for earthworms and boned meat where no residue was recovered. The influence of differences in both food and animal behavior on digestibility coefficients was significant (ANOVA, F<0.001). The use of digestibility coefficients to adjust quantitative estimates of fecal residue or to predict biomass consumed is of questionable value with raccoons due to variability in foods consumed and behavior of individual animals.

American Midland Naturalist↗
USGS2017

The Finley Site: Antiquity of the Finley Site

This report is based on two months reconnaissance in the summer of 1941 in the Eden Valley, Wyoming. The work is as yet far from complete and the conclusions presented here must be regarded as tentative. It is hoped that in the future more extensive geological work may be undertaken. The Finley site provides a promising opportunity for a determination of the age of the Yuma culture. The points and bones described by Dr. Howard occur in a culture layer which has been found in a large dune area, here called the Killpecker dunes. The deposition of the culture layer is one of a series of events in the dune area which can be correlated with the cutting and filling of gravel terraces in the Eden Valley to the west, and these in turn may be related to the glacial chronology in the Wind River Mountains which lie to the north.

Wyoming↗
USGS1980

Lead residues in sora rails from Maryland

During September and October, mi- grating sora rails (Porzana carolina) use tidal marshes of the Patuxent River in Maryland, where they have been hunted for many years. Spent shot accumulates in the marsh during the rail hunting sea- son, and some shot is ingested by the birds. Twelve percent of gizzards from rails collected at the marsh during 1965- 73 contained lead shot (Artmann and Martin 1975). Effects of ingested lead on waterfowl are well documented (Bellrose 1959), although effects on other species of wild birds are not well known. In this note we report lead residues in liver and bone tissues of sora rails collected at the Patuxent River marshes in 1976.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗
USGS1991

Validation of estimating food intake in gray wolves by 22Na turnover

We studied 22 sodium ( 22 Na) turnover as a means of estimating food intake in 6 captive, adult gray wolves ( Canis lupus ) (2 F, 4 M) over a 31-day feeding period. Wolves were fed white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) meat only. Mean mass-specific exchangeable Na pool was 44.8 ± 0.7 mEq/kg; there was no differeence between males and females. Total exchangeable Na was related ( r 2 = 0.85, P < 0.009) to body mass. Overall, 22 Na turnover overestimated Na intake by 9.8 ± 2.4% after 32 days. Actual Na intake was similar in males and females; however, Na turnover ( P < 0.05) and the discrepancy ( P < 0.01) between turnover and actual Na intake were greater in females than males. From Day 8 to the end of the study, the absolute difference (mEq) between Na intake and Na turnover remained stable. Sodium turnover (mEq/kg/day) was a reliable ( r 2 = 0.91, P < 0.001) estimator of food consumption (g/kg/day) in wolves over a 32-day period. Sampling blood and weighing wolves every 1-4 days permitted identification of several potential sources of error, including changes in size of exchangeable Na pools, exchange of 22 Na with gastrointestinal and bone Na, and rapid loss of the isotope by urinary excretion.

Minnesota↗
USGS1992

[Book review] Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part I. Non-Passeriformes [and] Part II. Passeriformes

Perhaps the great appeal of paleontological studies is that they inspire visions of past worlds richer and more interesting than our own. Yet, no matter how fascinating, these fossil creatures and their environments manifest a remoteness measured by more than geological time. But what if bones tell the story of a world that ought to still exist? In their long-awaited, twin monographs describing 32 species of subfossil birds from the Hawaiian Islands and commenting on the remains of perhaps as many as 22 other species, the authors more than double in size the recent endemic avifauna for this subtropical, oceanic archipelago.

The Auk↗
USGS1878

Descriptions of fishes from the cretaceous and tertiary deposits west of the Mississippi River

This, with the genus following, introduces for the first time into the North American extinct fauna the family of the Dercetiform fishes. The relationship of the family has been discussed by various authors, especially by Pictet and Von der Marek. The former regards them as Teleostei ; the latter as "Ganoids". As I do not adopt the division signified by the last name, I find Professor Pictet's view nearer to the point. The specimens indicate further that the Dercetidae belong to the Actinopteri , and probably to the order Hemibranchii . The only alternative is the order Isospondyli , and the characters which separate the two are not clearly shown in the specimens. Distinct bones below the pectoral fins may be interclavicles, which belong to the Hemibranchii .

Report↗
USGS1962

The man and the hill

He was sitting on a large slab of rock. As he looked at the cloud of dust hanging hazily on the horizon, the piece of antler and the block of flint he held in his hand hung as if they were suspended from their previous rapid motion. The man gazed intently across the swaying grass which rose in wave-like billows across the distant hills. What was that dust - a herd of buffalo, a band of hunters, or were coyotes chasing the antelope again? After watching for a while he started again to chip the flint with a rapid twisting motion of the bone in his right hand. The little chips of flint fell in the grass before him. It is the same hill but the scene has changed. Seated on the same rock, holding the reins of a saddle horse, a man dressed in buckskin took the fur cap off his head and wiped his brow. He was looking intently across a brown and desolate landscape at a cloud of dust on the far horizon. Was it the hostile tribe of Indians? It could be buffalo. Nervously he kicked at the ground with the deerhide moccasin, pushing the flint chips out of the way. He wiped the dust from his long rifle. What a terrible place - no water, practically no grass, everything bare and brown. Now at sunset, slanting across the hills green with springtime, a cowman sits on a big rock, pushes his sombrero back on his head, and looks across the valley at a large but quiet herd of stock, moving slowly as each steer walks from one lush patch of grass to another, nibbling. Suddenly he stood up. Far on the horizon some dark objects were moving. Is it the sheepmen? Could it be the stage coach from Baggs to the Sweetwater Crossing? Same hill - a gray truck was grinding slowly toward the summit. It pulled up near a small fenced enclosure where there were some instruments painted a bright silver color. A man stepped out of the truck and turned to his younger companion, "You've never found an arrowhead? Maybe you have never thought about it correctly. If you want to find where an Indian camped long ago, put yourself in his place. Where would he sit to chip flint? He would take some high hill above a grassy valley where the breeze would cool him and where he could look across the country, watching for game or for enemies. If I were an Indian, that's what I would do. You change the chart of the rain gage and I am going to walk up to the place where I think he might have sat." He walked over to the crest of the hill and, near a large slab of sandstone, started to pick up pieces of flint. This is an oft-repeated story. A given hill is repeatedly visited, used, loved or hated, protected or marred, by successive generations of men. All these men had characteristics in common. They had a job to do, a livelihood to make; they had their own plans, their own fears, but they were in one way or another connected with the land.

Circular↗
USGS1999

Radium in ground water from public-water supplies in northern Illinois

Concentrations of the naturally occurring radioactive isotopes radium-226 and radium-228 in excess of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard for drinking water of 5 picocuries per liter have been detected in water from deep aquifers used for public supply that underly parts of northern Illinois. Radium, a known carcinogen, has the potential to cause bone and sinus cancer if ingested in sufficient amounts. This Fact Sheet briefly describes the formation and decay of radium, the health risks associated with radium ingestion, procedures for testing radium concentrations in water, and the occurrence of radium in ground water used for public-water supplies in northern Illinois and provides information on technologies that can reduce the amount of radium in drinking water.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1983

Map and interpretation of aeromagnetic data for the Wild Rogue Wilderness, Coos and Curry Counties, Oregon

The Wild Rogue Wilderness is located in Coos and Curry Counties, southwestern Oregon and covers part of the Bone Mountain, Marial, and Agness 15-minute quadrangles (fig. 1). It is an elongate area 19 mi by 1 to 3 mi (31 km by 1.3 to 5 km) and covers approximately 35,818 acres extending from the town of Agness to Mount Bolivar. The mapped geology of the Wild Rogue Wilderness (Gray and others, 1982) consists of a tectonic wedge of volcanic and intrusive rocks of Jurassic age surrounded on all sides by thick sequences of Jurassic, Creacetous, and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. Normally, volcanic and intrusive rocks are more magnetic than sedimentary rocks, a property which should be reflected by the areomagnetic data. We conclude, however, that most of the magnetic anomalies of the Wild Rogue Wilderness are caused by magnetic rocks that are not exposed but which occur at relatively shallow depth below the topographic surface.

Oregon↗
USGS1969

Geologic map of the Myrtle Point area, Coos County, Oregon

The mapped area lies in theo southern end of the Coos Bay coal field. Coal occurs onle in the upper and lower members of the Coaledo Formation. Nearly all the coal mined in the Coos Bay coal field was from the upper member of the Coaledo Formation. In the mapped area, most of this member has been eroded; only a few hundred feed of the basal strata remains. Allen and Baldwin (1944, p. 131, 116) reported 2 feet 7 inches of coal and bone along Hall creek in the NW1/4NW1/4 sec. 11, T. 29 S., R. 13 W., and 4 feet of coal and bony coal at the Albee prospect near the center of the NE1/4 sec. 4 T. 29 S., 13 W.

Oregon↗
USGS2001

Selected hydrologic data for the field demonstration of three permeable reactive barriers near Fry Canyon, Utah, 1996-2000

Three permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) were installed near Fry Canyon, Utah, in August 1997 to demonstrate the use of PRBs to control the migration of uranium in ground water. Reactive material included (1) bone-char phosphate, (2) zero-valent iron pellets, and (3) amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide coated gravel. An extensive monitoring network was installed in and around each PRB for collection of water samples, analysis of selected water-quality parameters, and monitoring of water levels. Water temperature, specific conductance, pH, Eh (oxidation-reduction potential), and dissolved oxygen were measured continuously within three different barrier materials, and in two monitoring wells. Water temperature and water level below land surface were electronically recorded every hour with pressure transducers. Data were collected from ground-water monitoring wells installed in and around the PRBs during 1996-98 and from surface-water sites in Fry Creek.

Utah↗
USGS2005

Determination of total mercury in biological and geological samples

The analytical chemist is faced with several challenges when determining mercury in biological and geological materials. These challenges include widespread mercury contamination, both in the laboratory and the environment, possible losses of mercury during sample preparation and digestion, the wide range of mercury values commonly observed, ranging from the low nanogram per gram or per liter for background areas to hundreds of milligrams per kilogram in contaminated or ore-bearing areas, great matrix diversity, and sample heterogeneity1. These factors can be naturally occurring or anthropogenic, but must be addressed to provide a precise and accurate analysis. Although there are many instrumental methods available for the successful determination of mercury, no one technique will address all problems or all samples all of the time. The approach for the determination of mercury used at the U.S. Geological Survey, Crustal Imaging and Characterization Team, Denver Laboratories, utilizes a suite of complementary instrumental methods when approaching a study requiring mercury analyses. Typically, a study could require the analysis of waters, leachates or selective digestions of solids, vegetation, and biological materials such as tissue, bone, or shell, soils, rocks, sediments, coals, sludges, and(or) ashes. No one digestion or sample preparation method will be suitable for all of these matrices. The digestions typically employed at our laboratories include: (i) a closed-vessel microwave method using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, followed by digestion/dilution with a nitric acid/sodium dichromate solution, (ii) a robotic open test-tube digestion with nitric acid and sodium dichromate, (iii) a sealed Teflon? vessel with nitric acid and sodium dichromate, (iv) a sealed glass bottle with nitric acid and sodium dichromate, or (v) open test tube digestion with nitric and sulfuric acids and vanadium pentoxide. The common factor in all these digestions is that they are very oxidative to ensure the conversion of all mercury forms into Hg (II). Each method of digestion has its advantages and limitations. The method of detection used in our laboratories involves a combination of an in-house, custom, classic continuous-flow cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS), a commercially available, automated, flow-injection and a continuous flow cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV-AFS) systems, and a relatively new, automated and integrated approach where solid or liquid samples are thermally decomposed under an oxygen atmosphere (a nitrogen atmosphere is used for coals) and the released mercury vapor trapped onto a gold gauze and then thermally released into an AAS system. Other less frequently used instrumental methods available for the determination of mercury include inductively coupled plasma ? optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively couple plasma ? mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (both solution nebulization and laser ablation), and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Results from two case studies involving the determination of mercury in the challenging matrices of biological materials will be presented. These will include fillet, liver and stomach-content samples from grayling for a baseline/background study in Alaska, and samples of meat tissue and shell material from Tanner crabs from Glacier Bay, Alaska. These studies show that the method of digestion is more important than a very sensitive detection limit for mercury.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Knowledge and Understanding of the Hydrogeology of the Salt Basin in South-Central New Mexico and Future Study Needs

The Salt Basin covers about 2,400 square miles of south-central New Mexico and extends across the State line into Texas. As much as 57 million acre-feet of ground water may be stored within the New Mexico part of the Salt Basin of which 15 million acre-feet are potentially potable and recoverable. Recent work suggests that the volume of ground water in storage within the New Mexico portion of the Salt Basin may be substantially greater than 57 million acre-feet. In this report, aquifers contained in the San Andres, Bone Spring, and Victorio Peak Limestones and in the Yeso, Hueco, and Abo Formations are collectively referred to as the carbonate aquifer. Porosity and permeability of the major aquifer are primarily determined by the density and interconnectedness of fractures and karstic solution channels. The spatial variability of these fractures and karstic features leads to a large spatial variability in hydraulic properties in the carbonate aquifer. Ground water generally moves southward away from recharge areas along the northern border of the Salt Basin and generally moves eastward to southeastward away from areas of distributed recharge on the Otero Mesa and the Diablo Plateau. Ground water originating from these recharge areas generally moves toward the central valley. Present day discharge is mostly through ground-water withdrawal for agricultural irrigation. A zone of relatively low hydraulic gradient, corresponding to the location of the Otero Break, extends from near the Sacramento River watershed southward toward Dell City, Texas. Ground water in the carbonate aquifer generally is very hard and has dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 500 to 6,500 milligrams per liter. Substantial variability exists in current estimates of (1) ground-water recharge, (2) natural ground-water discharge, (3) the volume of ground water in storage, (4) the volume of recoverable ground water, (5) the conceptual model of ground-water flow, (6) the distribution of ground-water quality, and (7) the distribution of hydraulic characteristics. Future study could reduce uncertainty in these estimates and allow for better management of ground-water resources in the Salt Basin.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2016

Discharge, water temperature, and water quality of Warm Mineral Springs, Sarasota County, Florida: A retrospective analysis

Warm Mineral Springs, located in southern Sarasota County, Florida, is a warm, highly mineralized, inland spring. Since 1946, a bathing spa has been in operation at the spring, attracting vacationers and health enthusiasts. During the winter months, the warm water attracts manatees to the adjoining spring run and provides vital habitat for these mammals. Well-preserved late Pleistocene to early Holocene-age human and animal bones, artifacts, and plant remains have been found in and around the spring, and indicate the surrounding sinkhole formed more than 12,000 years ago. The spring is a multiuse resource of hydrologic importance, ecological and archeological significance, and economic value to the community. The pool of Warm Mineral Springs has a circular shape that reflects its origin as a sinkhole. The pool measures about 240 feet in diameter at the surface and has a maximum depth of about 205 feet. The sinkhole developed in the sand, clay, and dolostone of the Arcadia Formation of the Miocene-age to Oligocene-age Hawthorn Group. Underlying the Hawthorn Group are Oligocene-age to Eocene-age limestones and dolostones, including the Suwannee Limestone, Ocala Limestone, and Avon Park Formation. Mineralized groundwater, under artesian pressure in the underlying aquifers, fills the remnant sink, and the overflow discharges into Warm Mineral Springs Creek, to Salt Creek, and subsequently into the Myakka River. Aquifers described in the vicinity of Warm Mineral Springs include the surficial aquifer system, the intermediate aquifer system within the Hawthorn Group, and the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Suwannee Limestone, Ocala Limestone, and Avon Park Formation. The Hawthorn Group acts as an upper confining unit of the Upper Floridan aquifer. Groundwater flow paths are inferred from the configuration of the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer for September 2010. Groundwater flow models indicate the downward flow of water into the Upper Floridan aquifer in inland areas, and upward flow toward the surface in coastal areas, such as at Warm Mineral Springs. Warm Mineral Springs is located in a discharge area. Changes in water use in the region have affected the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer. Historical increase in groundwater withdrawals resulted in a 10- to 20-foot regional decline in the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer by May 1975 relative to predevelopment levels and remained at approximately that level in May 2007 in the area of Warm Mineral Springs. Discharge measurements at Warm Mineral Springs (1942–2014) decreased from about 11–12 cubic feet per second in the 1940s to about 6–9 cubic feet per second in the 1970s and remained at about that level for the remainder of the period of record. Similarity of changes in regional water use and discharge at Warm Mineral Springs indicates that basin-scale changes to the groundwater system have affected discharge at Warm Mineral Springs. Water temperature had no significant trend in temperature over the period of record, 1943–2015, and outliers were identified in the data that might indicate inconsistencies in measurement methods or locations. Within the regional groundwater basin, Warm Mineral Springs is influenced by deep Upper Floridan aquifer flow paths that discharge toward the coast. Associated with these flow paths, the groundwater temperatures increase with depth and toward the coast. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that a source of warm groundwater to Warm Mineral Springs is likely the permeable zone of the Avon Park Formation within the Upper Floridan aquifer at a depth of about 1,400 to 1,600 feet, or deeper sources. The permeable zone contains saline groundwater with water temperatures of at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The water quality of Warm Mineral Springs, when compared with other springs in Florida had the highest temperature and the greatest mineralized content. Warm Mineral Springs water is characterized by a slight-green color, with varying water clarity, low dissolved oxygen (indicative of deep groundwater), and a hydrogen sulfide odor. Water-quality samples detected ammonium-nitrogen and nitrates, but at low concentrations. The drinking water standard for nitrate adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is 10 milligrams per liter, measured as nitrogen. Water samples collected at spring vents by divers on April 29, 2015, had concentrations of 0.9 milligram per liter nitrate-nitrogen at vent A and 0.04–0.05 milligram per liter at vents B, C, and D. Typically, the water clarity is highest in the morning (about 30 feet Secchi depth) and often decreases throughout the day. Analysis of existing data provided some insight into the hydrologic processes affecting Warm Mineral Springs; however, data have been sparsely and discontinuously collected since the 1940s. Continuous monitoring of hydrologic characteristics such as discharge, water temperature, specific conductance, and water-quality indicators, such as nitrate and turbidity (water clarity), would be valuable for monitoring and development of models of spring discharge and water quality. In addition, water samples could be analyzed for isotopic tracers, such as strontium, and the results used to identify and quantify the sources of groundwater that discharge at Warm Mineral Springs. Groundwater flow/transport models could be used to evaluate the sensitivity of the quality and quantity of water flowing from Warm Mineral Springs to changes in climate, aquifer levels, and water use.

Florida↗
USGS1978

Minimum average 7-day, 10-year flows in the Hudson River basin, New York, with release-flow data on Rondout and Ashokan reservoirs

Minimum average 7-day, 10-year flow at 67 gaging stations and 173 partial-record stations in the Hudson River basin are given in tabular form. Variation of the 7-day, 10-year low flow from point to point in selected reaches, and the corresponding times of travel, are shown graphically for Wawayanda Creek, Wallkill River, Woodbury-Moodna Creek, and the Fishkill Creek basins. The 7-day, 10-year low flow for the Saw Kill basin, and estimates of the 7-day, 10-year low flow of the Roeliff Jansen Kill at Ancram and of Birch Creek at Pine Hill, are given. Summaries of discharge from Rondout and Ashokan Reservoirs, in Ulster County, are also included. Minimum average 7-day, 10-year flow for gaging stations with 10 years or more of record were determined by log-Pearson Type III computation; those for partial-record stations were developed by correlation of discharge measurements made at the partial-record stations with discharge data from appropriate long-term gaging stations. The variation in low flows from point to point within the selected subbasins were estimated from available data and regional regression formula. Time of travel at these flows in the four subbasins was estimated from available data and Boning's equations.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1979

Generalized thickness of the surficial deposits above the confining bed overlying the Floridan Aquifer, Southwest Florida Water Management District

This map report presents the thickness of the surficial deposits overlying the upper confining bed of the Floridan aquifer in the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The surficial deposits range in thickness from less than 25 feet in the western part of the district to greater than 250 feet in the eastern part. The surficial deposits include sand, clayey sand, shell, and shelly marl that occur in the Holocene sand, Pleistocene marine terrace sand, and unconsolidated parts of the Fort Thompson Formation, Caloosahatchee Marl, Alachua Formation, and Bone Valley Formation. Lithologic logs and information from quarries were used in conjunction with an unpublished map prepared during an earlier investigation to compile this map at 1:250,000 scale. (Kosco-USGS)

Florida↗