Search USGS⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “Geophysics”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
USGS1985

Remote sensing; a geophysical perspective

In this review of developments in the field of remote sensing from a geophysical perspective, the subject is limited to the electromagnetic spectrum from 0.4 mu m to 25 cm. Three broad energy categories are covered: solar reflected, thermal infrared, and microwave.The reflected solar region has been the most intensely studied. Photointerpretation of images from individual spectral bands or from color composites remains the most widely used method of analysis. New instrumentation and digital processing, based on analysis of laboratory and field spectra, provide significant advances that are beginning to be applied to resource exploration. Color compositing techniques have been effectively used to detect the characteristic spectral reflectance features of iron oxides and hydroxyl-bearing materials in satellite multispectral data for mapping areas of hydrothermal alteration. Airborne spectrometers can now detect individual spectral features of many minerals which are diagnostic of different stages of hydrothermal alteration. Evolution was from discrimination, based on empirical experience, to mineralogic identification and leading to quantification. Current developments also indicate new, promising extensions to vegetated terrains.Advances in thermal infrared studies are due to development of thermal models that permit mapping of physical property variations and to detection of spectral differences that provide important compositional information. Analysis techniques are still in their infancy, and thermal satellite data remain appropriate only for regional investigations.Microwave data have been acquired mainly with radar systems, which can provide very high resolution from space, but use of textural and slope information has had limited application. Long-wavelength radiation has been shown to penetrate dry materials, and this may be applicable in extremely arid regions.

Geophysics↗
USGS2013

Integrated geophysical imaging of a concealed mineral deposit: a case study of the world-class Pebble porphyry deposit in southwestern Alaska

We combined aeromagnetic, induced polarization, magnetotelluric, and gravity surveys as well as drillhole geologic, alteration, magnetic susceptibility, and density data for exploration and characterization of the Cu-Au-Mo Pebble porphyry deposit. This undeveloped deposit is almost completely concealed by postmineralization sedimentary and volcanic rocks, presenting an exploration challenge. Individual geophysical methods primarily assist regional characterization. Positive chargeability and conductivity anomalies are observed over a broad region surrounding the deposit, likely representing sulfide minerals that accumulated during multiple stages of hydrothermal alteration. The mineralized area occupies only a small part of the chargeability anomaly because sulfide precipitation was not unique to the deposit, and mafic rocks also exhibit strong chargeability. Conductivity anomalies similarly reflect widespread sulfides as well as water-saturated glacial sediments. Mineralogical and magnetic susceptibility data indicate magnetite destruction primarily within the Cu-Au-Mo mineralized area. The magnetic field does not show a corresponding anomaly low but the analytic signal does in areas where the deposit is not covered by postmineralization igneous rocks. The analytic signal shows similar lows over sedimentary rocks outside of the mineralized area, however, and cannot uniquely distinguish the deposit. We find that the intersection of positive chargeability anomalies with analytic signal lows, indicating elevated sulfide concentrations but low magnetite at shallow depths, roughly delineates the deposit where it is covered only by glacial sediments. Neither chargeability highs nor analytic signal lows are present where the deposit is covered by several hundred meters of sedimentary and volcanic rocks, but a 3D resistivity model derived from magnetotelluric data shows a corresponding zone of higher conductivity. Gravity data highlight geologic features within the deposit, including shallow diorite sills that locally contain higher-grade mineralization. The results thus show ways in which an integrated survey approach might be used to distinguish zones of potentially economic mineralization.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Integrated geophysical imaging of rare-earth-element-bearing iron oxide-apatite deposits in the eastern Adirondack Highlands, New York

The eastern Adirondack Highlands of northern New York host dozens of iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits containing magnetite and rare earth element (REE)-bearing apatite. We use new aeromagnetic, aeroradiometric, ground gravity, and sample petrophysical and geochemical data to image and understand these deposits and their geologic framework. Aeromagnetic total field data reflect highly magnetic leucogranite host rock and major structures that likely served as fluid conduits for the hydrothermal system. Bandpass filtering of the aeromagnetic data reveals individual deposits that were verified in the field or from historical records. A three-dimensional inversion for magnetic susceptibility images these deposits at depth, allowing inference of plunge directions and relative size. Radiometric data highlight variations in the surface geology and several large tailings piles that contain REE-bearing apatite. Within the host rock, eTh (equivalent Th), K and the eTh/K ratio are variable with high eTh/K near several of the IOA deposits. Areas with elevated K or low eTh/K representing potassic alteration appear to be rare; instead elevated eTh/K ratios likely reflect widespread sodic alteration overprinting potassic alteration. Bouguer gravity anomalies show limited correspondence to the surface geology, radiometric data, or magnetic data, but do exhibit ~10-km wide highs in areas where deposits are observed. Two-dimensional forward models of the gravity and magnetic data show that deeper dense material beneath the leucogranite is quantitatively feasible. If these dense rocks represent intrusions that were emplaced or still cooling at the time of mineralization, they may have served as a heat source that helped to drive the hydrothermal system. Combining datasets, we find that deposits occur towards the distal ends of major structures within the host leucogranite and mostly above gravity highs. The geophysical modeling thus suggests that IOA deposits formed in structural, thermal, and chemical traps near the distal ends of the hydrothermal system.

New York↗
USGS1999

Integrating surface and borehole geophysics in ground water studies: An example using electromagnetic soundings in south Florida

Time domain surface electromagnetic soundings, borehole induction logs, and other borehole logging techniques are used to construct a realistic model for the shallow subsurface hydraulic properties of unconsolidated sediments in south Florida. Induction logs are used to calibrate surface induction soundings in units of pore water salinity by correlating water sample specific electrical conductivity with the electrical conductivity of the formation over the sampled interval for a two‐layered aquifer model. Geophysical logs are also used to show that a constant conductivity layer model is appropriate for the south Florida study. Several physically independent log measurements are used to quantify the dependence of formation electrical conductivity on such parameters as salinity, permeability, and clay mineral fraction. The combined interpretation of electromagnetic soundings and induction logs was verified by logging three validation boreholes, confirming quantitative estimates of formation conductivity and thickness in the upper model layer, and qualitative estimates of conductivity in the lower model layer.

Journal of Environmental & Engineering Geophysics↗
USGS2016

Surface geophysical methods for characterising frozen ground in transitional permafrost landscapes

The distribution of shallow frozen ground is paramount to research in cold regions, and is subject to temporal and spatial changes influenced by climate, landscape disturbance and ecosystem succession. Remote sensing from airborne and satellite platforms is increasing our understanding of landscape-scale permafrost distribution, but typically lacks the resolution to characterise finer-scale processes and phenomena, which are better captured by integrated surface geophysical methods. Here, we demonstrate the use of electrical resistivity imaging (ERI), electromagnetic induction (EMI), ground penetrating radar (GPR) and infrared imaging over multiple summer field seasons around the highly dynamic Twelvemile Lake, Yukon Flats, central Alaska, USA. Twelvemile Lake has generally receded in the past 30 yr, allowing permafrost aggradation in the receded margins, resulting in a mosaic of transient frozen ground adjacent to thick, older permafrost outside the original lakebed. ERI and EMI best evaluated the thickness of shallow, thin permafrost aggradation, which was not clear from frost probing or GPR surveys. GPR most precisely estimated the depth of the active layer, which forward electrical resistivity modelling indicated to be a difficult target for electrical methods, but could be more tractable in time-lapse mode. Infrared imaging of freshly dug soil pit walls captured active-layer thermal gradients at unprecedented resolution, which may be useful in calibrating emerging numerical models. GPR and EMI were able to cover landscape scales (several kilometres) efficiently, and new analysis software showcased here yields calibrated EMI data that reveal the complicated distribution of shallow permafrost in a transitional landscape.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Northern Cascadia Margin gas hydrates — Regional geophysical surveying, IODP drilling leg 311, and cabled observatory monitoring

This article reviews extensive geophysical survey data, ocean drilling results and long-term seafloor monitoring that constrain the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates within the accretionary prism of the northern Cascadia subduction margin, located offshore Vancouver Island in Canada. Seismic surveys and geologic studies conducted since the 1980s have mapped the bottom simulating reflector (BSR), detected gas hydrate occurrence and estimated gas hydrate and free gas concentrations. Additional constraints were obtained from seafloor-towed, controlled-source electromagnetic surveying. A component of these studies has been the examination of low-temperature seafloor vents and seeps that emit gas and fluids into the ocean. These features are identified seismically as chimney-like zones of reduced acoustic reflectivity within the sediment stratigraphy, functioning as conduits for gas and fluid migration from below the BSR to the seafloor. Gas hydrates have been recovered from the seafloor and from sediment cores at vent sites, mostly in massive (nodular) form and as a vein-like fracture filling. The Ocean Networks Canada cabled NEPTUNE observatory has gathered extensive continuous, long-term observations on gas hydrate dynamics at the seafloor and in boreholes at two nodes on the continental slope featuring high gas hydrate concentrations. Measurements taken at the observatory include a time-series of gas bubble emission rates, changes in the near-seafloor electromagnetic structure and seafloor compliance linked to gas hydrate formation and dissociation. Two Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expeditions collected cores, measured downhole properties and deployed downhole instruments within the central accretionary prism. At IODP Site U1364, pore pressures are being monitored above and below the base of the gas hydrate stability zone at a slope setting using an “Advanced Circulation Obviation Retrofit Kit” (A-CORK). Downhole pore pressures, temperatures and electrical resistivities also are being monitored at IODP Site U1416 using the “Simple Cabled Instrument for Measuring Parameters In Situ” (SCIMPI) tool at a vent site from near-seafloor to just above the base of the gas hydrate stability zone.

British Columbia↗
USGS2022

Zinc on the edge—Isotopic and geophysical evidence that cratonic edges control world-class shale-hosted zinc-lead deposits

The North Australian Zinc Belt is the largest zinc-lead province in the world, containing three of the ten largest known individual deposits (HYC, Hilton-George Fisher, and Mount Isa). The Northern Cordillera in North America is the second largest zinc-lead province, containing a further two of the world’s top ten deposits (Red Dog and Howards Pass). Despite this world-class endowment, exploration in both mineral provinces during the past 2 decades has not been particularly successful, yielding only two significant discoveries (Teena, Australia, and Boundary, Canada). One of the most important aspects of exploration is to choose mineral provinces and districts within geological belts that have the greatest potential for discovery. Here, we present results from these two zinc belts that highlight previously unused datasets for area selection and targeting. Lead isotope mapping using analyses of mineralized material has identified gradients in μ ( 238 U/ 204 Pb) that coincide closely with many major deposits. Locations of these deposits also coincide with a gradient in the depth of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary determined from calibrated surface wave tomography models converted to temperature. Furthermore, gradients in upward-continued gravity anomalies and a step in Moho depth correspond to a pre-existing major crustal boundary in both zinc belts. A spatial association of deposits with a linear mid- to lower-crustal resistivity anomaly from magnetotelluric data is also observed in the North Australian Zinc Belt. The change from thicker to thinner lithosphere is interpreted to localize prospective basins for zinc-lead mineralization and to control the gradient in lead isotope and geophysical data. These data, when combined with data indicative of paleoenvironment and changes in plate motion at the time of mineralization, provide new exploration criteria that can be used to identify prospective mineralized basins and define the most favorable parts of these basins.

Mineralium Deposita↗
USGS2005

Contact zone permeability at intrusion boundaries: New results from hydraulic testing and geophysical logging in the Newark Rift Basin, New York, USA

Hydraulic tests and geophysical logging performed in the Palisades sill and the underlying sedimentary rocks in the NE part of the Newark Rift Basin, New York, USA, confirm that the particular transmissive zones are localized within the dolerite-sedimentary rock contact zone and within a narrow interval below this contact zone that is characterized by the occurrence of small layers of chilled dolerite. Transmissivity values determined from fluid injection, aquifer testing, and flowmeter measurements generally fall in the range of 8.1E-08 to 9.95E-06 m 2 /s and correspond to various scales of investigation. The analysis of acoustic and optical BHTV images reveals two primary fracture sets within the dolerite and the sedimentary rocks—subhorizontal fractures, intersected by subvertical ones. Despite being highly fractured either with subhorizontal, subvertical or both fracture populations, the dolerite above and the sedimentary rocks below the contact zone and the zone with the layers of chilled dolerite are significantly less conductive. The distribution of the particular conductive intervals is not a function of the two dominant fracture populations or their density but rather of the intrusion path of the sill. The intrusion caused thermal fracturing and cracking of both formations, resulting in higher permeability along the contact zone.

Hydrogeology Journal↗
USGS2018

Groundwater salinity mapping using geophysical log analysis within the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil fields, Kern County, California, USA

A method is presented for deriving a volume model of groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) from borehole geophysical and aqueous geochemical measurements. While previous TDS mapping techniques have proved useful in the hydrogeologic setting in which they were developed, they may yield poor results in settings with lithological heterogeneity, complex water chemistry, or limited data. Problems arise because of assumed values for empirical constants in Archie’s Equation, unrealistic porosity and temperature gradients, or bicarbonate-rich groundwater. These issues become critical in complex geologic settings such as the San Joaquin Valley of California, USA. To address this, a method to map TDS in three dimensions is applied to the Fruitvale and Rosedale Ranch oil fields near Bakersfield, California. Borehole resistivity, porosity, and temperature data are used to derive TDS using Archie’s Equation, and are then kriged to interpolate TDS. Archie’s a and m (tortuosity factor and cementation exponent, respectively) are found by comparing model predictions, after kriging, to TDS measurements, and minimizing the differences via mathematical optimization. Contributions of abundant bicarbonate ions to TDS were corrected using an empirical model. This work was motivated by federal and state law requirements to monitor and protect underground sources of drinking water. Modeling shows the legally significant boundary of 10,000 ppm TDS is at ~1,067 m below sea level in Rosedale Ranch, and deepens into Fruitvale to ~1,341 m. Mapping groundwater TDS at this resolution reveals that TDS is primarily controlled by depth, recharge, stratigraphy, and in some places, by faulting and facies changes.

California↗
USGS1982

On the tectonics and metallogenesis of West Africa: a model incorporating new geophysical data

The gold, diamond and manganese deposits of Ghana have attracted commercial interest, but appropriate geophysical data to delineate the tectonic setting of these and other deposits have been lacking until recently. Recent gravity surveys, however, now cover about 75% of the country. When used in a synthesis of the sometimes contradictory existing theories about the geology and metallogenesis of West Africa, the available gravity, magnetic, and seismic data lead to a preliminary tectonic model that postulates rifting at the time of the (1800-2000 m.y. old) Eburnean orogeny and is consistent with the occurrences of mineral deposits in the region. In this model, diamond-bearing kimberlites formed during the commencement of rifting during the Eburnean orogenesis. Later emplacement of kimberlites was associated with the initiation of Mesozoic rifting of Gondwanaland. Primary gold vein deposits were probably formed by the migration of hydrothermal fluids (associated with the formation of granitoids) into dilatant zones, such as rift-related faults and anticlinal axial areas, toward the end of the Eburnean orogeny. At this time, the major concordant granitoids were formed, with smaller plutonic granitoids forming on the fringes of the concordant masses as partial melting fractions of the latter. Sedimentary manganese deposits were formed along the margins of rift lakes toward the end of the orogeny.

Geoexploration↗
USGS1980

Geophysical investigations in deep horizontal holes drilled ahead of tunnelling

Deep horizontal drill holes have been used since 1967 by the Defense Nuclear Agency as a primary exploration tool for siting nuclear events in tunnels at the Nevada Test Site. The U.S. Geological Survey had developed geophysical logging techniques for obtaining resistivity and velocity in these holes, and to date 33 horizontal drill holes in excess of 300 m in depth have been successfully logged. The deepest hole was drilled to a horizontal depth of 1125 m. The purposes of the logging measurements are to define clay zones, because of the unstable ground conditions such zones can present to tunnelling, and to define zones of partially saturated rock, because of the attenuating effects such zones have on the shock wave generated by the nuclear detonation. Excessive attenuation is undesirable because the shock wave is used as a tunnel closure mechanism to contain debris and other undesirable explosion products. Measurements are made by pumping resistivity, sonic and geophone probes down the drill string and out of the bit into the open hole. Clay zones are defined by the electrical resistivity technique based on empirical data relating the magnitude of the resistivity measurement to qualitative clay content. Rock exhibiting resistivity of less than 20 ??-m is considered potentially unstable, and resistivities less than 10 ??-m indicate appreciable amounts of clay are present in the rock. Partially saturated rock zones are defined by the measurement of the rock sound speed. Zones in the rock which exhibit velocities less than 2450 m/sec are considered of potential concern. ?? 1980.

International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining↗
USGS2015

Formulating the American Geophysical Union's Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy: Challenges and lessons learned

Creating an ethics policy for a large, diverse geosciences organization is a challenge, especially in the midst of the current contentious dialogue in the media related to such issues as climate change, sustaining natural resources, and responding to natural hazards. In 2011, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) took on this challenge, creating an Ethics Task Force to update their ethics policies to better support their new Strategic Plan and respond to the changing scientific research environment. Dialogue with AGU members and others during the course of creating the new policy unveiled some of the following issues to be addressed. Scientific results and individual scientists are coming under intense political and public scrutiny, with the efficacy of the science being questioned. In some cases, scientists are asked to take sides and/or provide opinions on issues beyond their research, impacting their objectivity. Pressure related to competition for funding and the need to publish high quality and quantities of papers has led to recent high-profile plagiarism, data fabrication, and conflict of interest cases. The complexities of a continuously advancing digital environment for conducting, reviewing, and publishing science has raised concerns over the ease of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate peer review, and the need for better accessibility of data and methods. Finally, students and scientists need consistent education and encouragement on the importance of ethics and integrity in scientific research. The new AGU Scientific Integrity and Ethics Policy tries to address these issues and provides an inspirational code of conduct to encourage a responsible, positive, open, honest scientific research environment.

Book chapter↗
USGS2026

Groundwater spatial variability within an atoll island: Assessing shallow aquifer heterogeneity with geophysical and physicochemical measurements

This study examines the spatial variability of shallow groundwater on Dhigelaabadhoo Island using electromagnetic induction surveys, groundwater monitoring, and sediment analyses. The research reveals how variations in island morphology—such as differences in elevation, reef flat width, and sediment composition—affect the spatial distribution of groundwater lenses and the overall aquifer dynamics. Saltwater intrusion is especially pronounced in low elevated areas, with narrow reef flat plate and areas where higher hydraulic conductivity—driven by the presence of coarser sediments—is observed, whereas regions characterized by finer sediments, higher elevation, and wider reef flat plates tend to support more symmetric and less saline groundwater lenses. The geophysical investigations reveal that tidal oscillations alter groundwater movement by markedly changing water levels and conductivity, thereby underscoring the critical need to account for temporal dynamics in atoll coastal aquifer systems and the importance of integrating tidal dynamics into the aquifer zone. The findings highlight the significant role of intrinsic morphological and external hydrodynamic factors in shaping groundwater distribution on atoll islands, offering critical insights for sustainable freshwater resource management.

Dhigelaabadhoo Island↗
USGS2023

Geophysical data provide three dimensional insights into porphyry copper systems in the Silverton caldera, Colorado, USA

The Silverton caldera in southwest Colorado, USA hosts polymetallic veins and pervasively altered rocks indicative of porphyry copper systems. Nearly a kilometer of erosion has exposed multiple levels of the hydrothermal systems from shallow lithocaps down to quartz-sericite-pyrite veins. New airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data are integrated with previous alteration mapping and porphyry models to show the subsurface geophysical response of shallow to deep levels of the porphyry system. Qualitative map views show lateral changes in the magnetization and resistivity of the hydrothermally altered rocks. The volcanic terrain exhibits high magnetization and high amplitude anomalies map near-surface plutonic rocks associated with porphyry systems. Magnetic susceptibility measurements on outcrops of hydrothermally altered rocks indicate magnetite content decreases upward and outward from the source intrusions where magnetic anomaly lows are observed over the lithocaps. The resistivity maps highlight hydrothermal alteration as resistivity lows with exception being rocks having propylitic alteration. Quantitative resistivity models show low resistivity zones with an apparent thickness around 50–150 m beneath quartz-sericite-pyrite veins interpreted to be the result of supergene processes that may continue today, and the calculated magnetic source depths occur near the top of this zone. The resistivity models also show rocks having propylitic, silicic, and quartz-alunite-pyrophyllite assemblages exhibit high resistivity with depth, and argillic alteration assemblages had high resistivity due to high quartz content. This integrated approach presented in a three-dimensional environment provides guidance when exploring for porphyry copper systems in less exposed terrains.

Colorado↗
USGS2015

Mapping the 3-D extent of the Northern Lobe of the Bushveld layered mafic intrusion from geophysical data

Geophysical models image the 3D geometry of the mafic portion of the Bushveld Complex north of the Thabazimbi-Murchison Lineament (TML), critical for understanding the origin of the world's largest layered mafic intrusion and platinum group element deposits. The combination of the gravity and magnetic data with recent seismic, MT, borehole and rock property measurements powerfully constrains the models. The intrusion north of the TML is generally shallowly buried (generally <1500 m) with a modeled area of &sim;160 km &times; &sim;125 km. The modeled thicknesses are not well constrained but vary from &sim;<1000 to >12,000 m, averaging &sim;4000 m. A feeder, suggested by a large modeled thickness (>10,000 m) and funnel shape, for Lower Zone magmas could have originated near the intersection of NS and NE trending TML faults under Mokopane. The TML has been thought to be the feeder zone for the entire Bushveld Complex but the identification of local feeders and/or dikes in the TML in the models is complicated by uncertainties on the syn- and post-Bushveld deformation history. However, modeled moderately thick high density material near the intersection of faults within the central and western TML may represent feeders for parts of the Bushveld Complex if deformation was minimal. The correspondence of flat, high resistivity and density regions reflect the sill-like geometry of the Bushveld Complex without evidence for feeders north of Mokopane. Magnetotelluric models indicate that the Transvaal sedimentary basin underlies much of the Bushveld Complex north of the TML, further than previously thought and important because the degree of reaction and assimilation of the Transvaal rocks with the mafic magmas resulted in a variety of mineralization zones.

Precambrian Research↗
USGS2021

Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters

Releases of oil and gas (OG) wastewaters can have complex effects on stream-water quality and downstream organisms, due to sediment-water interactions and groundwater/surface water exchange. Previously, elevated concentrations of sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), and lithium (Li), and trace hydrocarbons were determined to be key markers of OG wastewater releases when combined with Sr and radium (Ra) isotopic compositions. Here, we assessed the persistence of an OG wastewater spill in a creek in North Dakota using a combination of geochemical measurements and modeling, hydrologic analysis, and geophysical investigations. OG wastewater comprised 0.1 to 0.3% of the stream-water compositions at downstream sites in February and June 2015 but could not be quantified in 2016 and 2017. However, OG-wastewater markers persisted in sediments and pore water for 2.5 years after the spill and up to 7.2-km downstream from the spill site. Concentrations of OG wastewater constituents were highly variable depending on the hydrologic conditions. Electromagnetic measurements indicated substantially higher electrical conductivity under the bank adjacent to a seep 7.2 km downstream from the spill site. Geomorphic investigations revealed mobilization of sediment is an important contaminant transport process. Labile Ba, Ra, Sr, and ammonium (NH 4 ) concentrations extracted from sediments indicated sediments are a long-term reservoir of these constituents, both in the creek and on the floodplain. Using the drivers of ecological effects identified at this intensively studied site we identified 41 watersheds across the North Dakota landscape that may be subject to similar episodic inputs from OG wastewater spills. Effects of contaminants released to the environment during OG waste management activities remain poorly understood; however, analyses of Ra and Sr isotopic compositions, as well as trace inorganic and organic compound concentrations at these sites in pore-water provide insights into potentials for animal and human exposures well outside source-remediation zones.

North Dakota↗
USGS2004

Assessment of current and proposed nature reserves of Mexico based on their capacity to protect geophysical features and biodiversity

Mexico currently has 144 nature reserves covering approximately 9.1% of its land area. These reserves were established for a variety of reasons - often unrelated to the protection of biodiversity. In 2000 in response to a growing concern about the lack of organized conservation reserve planning to protect the important threatened biological and physical features of Mexico, the Mexican Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) proposed the establishment of 151 new reserves for Mexico covering 51,429,500 ha. We compiled a GIS analysis using digital thematic maps of physical and biological features to examine how the existing and proposed reserves serve to protect the biodiversity and physical features of the country. Using a conservation target of placing a minimum of 12% of the land area of each important biophysical feature in nature reserves, we found that the 144 existing nature reserves covering 18 million ha (9% of the country) only meet that target for elevation ranges >3000 m and areas with poor soils. These mountainous areas represent less than 1% of the country. The gaps in the existing nature reserves network occur mainly at lower and intermediate elevations (<3000 m) areas with xeric, tropical, and temperate ecosystems, and high productivity soils. The areas proposed by CONABIO increase the proportion of protected lands in the country to over 27% and most of the conservation targets for geophysical features, and land cover, categories are met. Whether this area would be sufficient to maintain viable populations and ecological integrity of species and ecosystems is unknown. Even with the new reserves, low elevation coastal lands would be below the conservation target in the nature reserves. To include a representative sample of these lands would be difficult as these are the same areas where the majority of people live. ?? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biological Conservation↗
USGS1999

Crustal and lithospheric structure of the west Antarctic Rift System from geophysical investigations: A review

The active West Antarctic Rift System, which extends from the continental shelf of the Ross Sea, beneath the Ross Ice Shelf and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is comparable in size to the Basin and Range in North America, or the East African rift systems. Geophysical surveys (primarily marine seismic and aeromagnetic combined with radar ice sounding) have extended the information provided by sparse geologic exposures and a few drill holes over the ice and sea covered area. Rift basins developed in the early Cretaceous accompanied by the major extension of the region. Tectonic activity has continued episodically in the Cenozoic to the present, including major uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains. The West Antarctic ice sheet, and the late Cenozoic volcanic activity in the West Antarctic Rift System, through which it flows, have been coeval since at least Miocene time. The rift is characterized by sparse exposures of late Cenozoic alkaline volcanic rocks extending from northern Victoria Land throughout Marie Byrd Land. The aeromagnetic interpretations indicate the presence of > 5 x 105 km2 (> 106 km3) of probable late Cenozoic volcanic rocks (and associated subvolcanic intrusions) in the West Antarctic rift. This great volume with such limited exposures is explained by glacial removal of the associated late Cenozoic volcanic edifices (probably hyaloclastite debris) concomitantly with their subglacial eruption. Large offset seismic investigations in the Ross Sea and on the Ross Ice Shelf indicate a ~ 17-24-km-thick, extended continental crust. Gravity data suggest that this extended crust of similar thickness probably underlies the Ross Ice Shelf and Byrd Subglacial Basin. Various authors have estimated maximum late Cretaceous-present crustal extension in the West Antarctic rift area from 255-350 km based on balancing crustal thickness. Plate reconstruction allowed < 50 km of Tertiary extension. However, paleomagnetic measurements suggested about 1000 km of post-middle Cretaceous translation between East Antarctica and Pacific West Antarctica. Because a great amount of crustal extension in late Cenozoic time is unlikely, alternate mechanisms have been proposed for the late Cenozoic volcanism. Its vast volume and the ocean island basalt chemistry of the exposed late Cenozoic alkaline volcanic rocks were interpreted as evidence for a mantle plume head. An alternative or supplemental explanation to the mantle plume hypothesis is significantly greater lower lithosphere (mantle) stretching resulting in greater decompression melting than the limited Cenozoic crustal extension allows. Because of very slow rates of late Cenozoic extension in the West Antarctic Rift System, the amount of advected heat is small compared with the conductive heat. Therefore, phase transition probably would not explain the large subsidence with low extension observed in the West Antarctic Rift System.

Global and Planetary Change↗