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

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USGS1888

Rules for the preparation of manuscript and illustrations designed for publication by the United States Geological Survey

In the annual report of the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey for 1885-'86, pages 40 and 41, you set forth the functions of the chief of the editorial division as follows: "To secure clear and accurate statement in the material sent to press, careful proof-reading, and uniformity in the details of book-making, as well as to assist the Director in exercising a general supervision over the publications of the Survey."

Report↗
USGS2015

Minerals, lands, and geology for the common defence and general welfare, Volume 4, 1939-1961: A history of geology in relation to the development of public-land, federal science, and mapping policies and the development of mineral resources in the United States from the 60th to the 82d year of the U.S. Geological Survey

The fourth volume of the comprehensive history of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is titled “Minerals, Lands, and Geology for the Common Defence and General Welfare—Volume 4, 1939‒1961.” The title is based on a passage in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution. The late Mary C. Rabbitt (1915‒2002), a geophysicist who served with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1948‒1949) and the USGS (1949‒1978), wrote the first three volumes in this series of USGS Special Books. “Volume 1, Before 1879” (1979), “Volume 2, 1879‒1904” (1980), and “Volume 3, 1904‒1939” (1986), although long out of print and out of stock, are now available online; see links at right. The 704-page Volume 4, supplemented by more than 200 illustrations, was begun by Rabbitt and completed by coauthor Clifford M. Nelson, a geologist with the USGS since 1976. The book is described as “A History of Geology in Relation to the Development of Public-Land, Federal Science, and Mapping Policies and the Development of Mineral Resources in the United States From the 60th to the 82d Year of the U.S. Geological Survey.” Volume 4 focuses on the United States and the USGS in war and peace from the beginning of World War II in Europe to the end of the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Like the earlier books in the series, Volume 4 places the nature and significance of USGS operations in mapping and the earth sciences in the wider contexts of national and international history. The new volume, like its three predecessors, is intended for general readers and historians alike, so it follows a chronological rather than a thematic pattern, although themes are traced throughout the book. After preparing Volumes 1–3, Rabbitt wrote a brief report summarizing the agency's history in its first century, “The United States Geological Survey: 1879‒1989,” which was originally issued as USGS Circular 1050 in 1989. It was reissued in 2000 as part of USGS Circular 1179, which also contains Renée M. Jaussaud’s inventory of documents accessioned through 1997 into Record Group 57 (USGS) at the National Archives and Records Administration’s Archives II facility (NARA II) in College Park, Maryland.

Book↗
USGS1951

Correlation list of new and old numbers of The Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of the U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories for the Years 1869-1875: Miscellaneous Publication, no. 5, Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories, 1875

The numbers of the negatives listed in the Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of the U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories for the years 1869 to 1875, Miscellaneous Publication No. 5, Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories, 1875, were replaced many years ago with new numbers. The following list of new numbers correlating the old numbers has been prepared to serve as a key to the 1875 catalog. Each assigned new number represents a negative or a print in our collection and the sequence of new numbers follows the order of prints mounted in five albums in the photographic library of the U.S. Geological Survey. Blank spaces in the list indicate unknown old catalog numbers and dates.

Report↗
USGS1903

Catalogue and index of the publications of the United States Geological Survey, 1901 to 1903

This catalogue and index are supplemental to those published in 1901 as Bulletin No. 177. These begin where those end; but there will be found in this index some entries—additional and corrective— which refer to papers covered by Bulletin No. 177. The two bulletins constitute a general catalogue and index of the publications of the Geological Survey from its organization, in 1879., to the present time. It is hoped that within the next few years someone will have the time and the inclination to combine the two and bring the work down to date. The indexing has been done in a desultory manner, as opportunity arose; and in the work the writer has had the assistance of other members of the editorial corps, viz, Messrs.Charles A. Mansuy, Laurence F. Schmeckebier, and George M. Wood.

Bulletin↗
USGS2024

StreamStats—A quarter century of delivering web-based geospatial and hydrologic information to the public, and lessons learned

StreamStats is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web application that provides streamflow statistics, such as the 1-percent annual exceedance probability peak flow, the mean flow, and the 7-day, 10-year low flow, to the public through a map-based user interface. These statistics are used in many ways, such as in the design of roads, bridges, and other structures; in delineation of floodplains for land-use zoning and setting of insurance rates; for regulatory purposes, such as the permitting of wastewater discharges; and for hydrologic and climate change studies. StreamStats was first developed for Massachusetts and released in 2001. The application provided users with the ability to obtain streamflow statistics computed from data collected at USGS streamgages and to obtain estimates of streamflow statistics for user-selected ungaged sites. Massachusetts StreamStats used geographic information system software and digital mapping to compute drainage-basin characteristics, which were then used in statistical models to estimate streamflow statistics for the user-selected sites. The statistical models were in the form of equations that were developed through a process known as regression analysis. StreamStats was the first known web application with the ability to do interactive geoprocessing. The utility of Massachusetts StreamStats was instantly apparent, leading the USGS to develop a version of StreamStats that could be implemented nationally. USGS State offices normally were required to develop custom regression equations and prepare local digital mapping data needed for implementing StreamStats for their States. Funding needed to complete this work usually was provided through cooperative agreements between the USGS and State agencies. In 2004, Idaho became the first to be released in the national version of StreamStats. By 2023, 44 States were fully implemented and six were undergoing implementation. StreamStats has undergone many modifications over the years to keep up with changes to the underlying software and to add functionality. Customized functionality and separate linked StreamStats applications were developed for several States. Meeting the high demand for additions and improvements to StreamStats while also adhering to budgetary constraints has, at times, been challenging. The StreamStats development team has identified numerous additional improvements that could be made to provide better performance and more functionality. The lessons learned from the experience of building and operating StreamStats for nearly 25 years could be relevant to others interested in pursuing efforts of a similar scale.

Circular↗
USGS1962

Explorations for water supplies on the public domain, 1960

In making reconnaissances for water supplies on the public domain as part of the Soil and Moisture Conservation Program of the Department of the Interior, the Geological Survey obtains information on the availability of water that is useful for other purposes or in other areas. This report contains the information thus collected during the calendar year 1960 in 46 areas scattered throughout 8 Western States. The accompanying tables list the sites of wells investigated, existing wells, springs, and wells drilled in 1960 as a result of investigations in that or previous years.

Circular↗
USGS1970

Standards for the classification of public coal lands

In order to provide uniformity in the classification of coal lands in the public domain, certain standards have been prepared from time to time by the U.S. Geological Survey. The controlling factors are the depth, quality, and thickness of the coal beds. The first regulations were issued April 8, 1907; others followed in 1908, 1909, and 1913. Except for minor changes in 1959, the regulations of 1913, which were described in U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 537, have been the guiding principles for coal-land classification. Changes made herein from the standards previously used are: (1) a maximum depth of 6,000 feet instead of 5,000 feet, (2) a maximum depth of 1,000 feet instead of 500 feet for coals of minimum thickness, (3) use of Btu (British thermal unit) values for as-received foal instead of air-dried, and (4) a minimum Btu value of 4,000 for as-received coal instead of 8,000 for air-dried. An additional modification is that the maximum thickness of 8 feet which was designated in the Classification Chart for Coal Lands in 1959 is changed to 6 feet. The effect of these changes will be the classification of a greater amount of the withdrawn land as coal land than was done under earlier regulations.

Circular↗
USGS1978

Description of CRIB, the GIPSY retrieval mechanism, and the interface to the General Electric MARK III Service : CRIB, the mineral resources data bank of the U.S. Geological Survey--guide for public users, 1977

The U.S. Geological Survey's Computerized Resources Information Bank (CRIB) is being made available for public use through the computer facilities of the University of Oklahoma and the General Electric Company, U.S.A. The use of General Electric's worldwide information-services network provides access to the CRIB file to a worldwide clientele. This manual, which consists of two chapters, is intended as a guide to users who wish to interrogate the file. Chapter A contains a description of the CRIB file, information on the use of the GIPSY retrieval system, and a description of the General Electric MARK III Service. Chapter B contains a description of the individual data items in the CRIB record as well as code lists. CRIB consists of a set of variable-length records on the metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources of the United States and other countries. At present, 31,645 records in the master file are being made available. The record contains information on mineral deposits and mineral commodities. Some topics covered are: deposit name, location, commodity information, description of deposit, geology, production, reserves, potential resources, and references. The data are processed by the GIPSY program, which maintains the data file and builds, updates, searches, and prints the records using simple yet versatile command statements. Searching and selecting records is accomplished by specifying the presence, absence, or content of any element of information in the record; these specifications can be logically linked to prepare sophisticated search strategies. Output is available in the form of the complete record, a listing of selected parts of the record, or fixed-field tabulations. The General Electric MARK III Service is a computerized information services network operating internationally by land lines, satellites, and undersea cables. The service is available by local telephone to 500 cities in North America, Western Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. An interface called the 'foreground driver' is used to link the GIPSY program to the General Electric system.

Circular↗
USGS1983

Hydrologic and geologic aspects of waste management and disposal; a bibliography of publications by U.S. Geological Survey authors, 1950-81

References to more than 550 reports, articles, and maps are listed alphabetically by author and are indexed by subject. The subject index includes geographic-area terms. Citations from 69 series are included; series are listed separately. The publications listed report the results of U.S. Geological Survey research and field projects throughout the Nation concerning earth-science aspects of waste management and disposal. They include organic, inorganic, and radioactive wastes and related topics such as mathematical models of solute transport. Most of the references are to (1) Geological Survey report series such as Water-Supply Papers, Professional Papers, Bulletins, Circulars, Water-Resources Investigations, and Open-File Reports, (2) technical journals of professional organizations, or (3) reports by other Federal and State agencies.

Circular↗
USGS2012

Digital recovery of 19th century surveys in Tampa Bay, Florida: Topographic charts and Public Land Surveys

Recovery of historic data to a digital setting adresses the need for data integration through time, bridging technical gaps and differences. The goal of this study was to evaluate a marsh-to-mangrove conversion spanning 125 years and the implications for present coastal-resource management (Yates and others, 2011; Raabe and others, 2012). The U.S. Geological Survey in St. Petersburg, Fla., georectified and digitized 1870s T-sheets at four Tampa Bay locations that still supported coastal wetlands in 2000 (table 1). Nineteenth century Public Land Surveys of Township and Range lines were also digitized for each site, as a secondary data source to verify historic landscape features (table 2).

Florida↗
USGS2015

Public-supply water use in Kansas, 2013

This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources, presents derivative statistics of water used by Kansas public-supply systems in 2013. The published statistics from the previous 4 years (2009–12) are also shown with the 2013 statistics and are used to calculate a 5-year average. An overall Kansas average and regional averages also are calculated and presented.

Kansas↗
USGS2011

Geographic science for public and Tribal lands management

There are more than 650 million acres of U.S. public and Tribal lands, most found west of the Mississippi River. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Geographic Science Center are working to increase the scientific information available for natural resource decision making, while continuing productive collaborations with Federal land managers, Tribal leaders, and local communities.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2012

Organic compounds assessed in Neuse River water used for public supply near Smithfield, North Carolina, 2002-2005

Organic compounds studied in a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of water samples from the Neuse River and the public supply system for the Town of Smithfield, North Carolina, generally are manmade and include pesticides, gasoline hydrocarbons, solvents, personal-care and domestic-use products, disinfection by-products, and manufacturing additives. Of the 277 compounds assessed, a total of 113 compounds were detected in samples collected approximately monthly during 2002–2005 at the drinking-water intake for the town's water-treatment plant on the Neuse River. Fifty-two organic compounds were commonly detected (in at least 20 percent of the samples) in source water and (or) finished water. The diversity of compounds detected suggests a variety of sources and uses, including wastewater discharges, industrial, agricultural, domestic, and others. Only once during the study did an organic compound concentration exceed a human-health benchmark (benzo[a]pyrene). A human-health benchmark is a chemical concentration specific to water above which there is a risk to humans, however, benchmarks were available for only 18 of the 42 compounds with detected concentrations greater than 0.1 micrograms per liter. On the basis of this assessment, adverse effects to human health are assumed to be negligible.

North Carolina↗
USGS2018

Comparing groundwater quality in public-supply and shallow aquifers in the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins, California

Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program (GAMA-PBP) provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information.

California↗
USGS2024

Structured science syntheses to inform decision making on Federal public lands

The U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered to develop a new type of science product: the structured science synthesis. Structured science syntheses are peer-reviewed reports that synthesize science information about a priority resource management issue on public lands. Structured science syntheses are developed explicitly to facilitate the application of science to decision making. Key characteristics of structured science syntheses include that they are coproduced with resource managers, developed using clear, repeatable methods and designed for ease of use. The syntheses include different types of science information needed for analyses completed under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2001

Visualization of drifting buoy deployments on St. Clair River near public water intakes - October 3-5, 2000

St. Clair River is a connecting channel of the Great Lakes between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair. The river forms part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada in the eastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and southern Ontario. Drifting buoys were deployed to help investigate flow characteristics near public water intakes in ten reaches of St. Clair River from October 3-5, 2000. In eight deployments, buoys were released at uniform intervals in a transect across the river to better understand flow patterns. In the remaining six deployments, buoys were released in a cluster near the middle of the channel to study turbulent dispersion characteristics. The eight spherical and seven cylindrical buoys used in the study were equipped with drogues and had similar drift characteristics. Each buoy contained a geographical positioning system (GPS) to monitor its movement. Computer animations were developed that integrated these GPS data with data shown on navigational charts. These computer animations, which can be viewed through the Internet, provide a scientific visualization tool to study the deployments.

St. Clair River↗
USGS2001

Occurrence and distribution of selected contaminants in public drinking-water supplies in the surficial aquifer in Delaware

Water samples were collected from August through November 2000 from 30 randomly selected public drinking-water supply wells screened in the unconfined aquifer in Delaware, and analyzed to assess the occurrence and distribution of selected pesticide compounds, volatile organic compounds, major inorganic ions, and nutrients. Water from a subset of 10 wells was sampled and analyzed for radium and radon. The average age of ground water entering the well screens in all the wells was determined to be generally less than 20 years. Low concentrations of pesticide compounds and volatile organic compounds were detected throughout the State of Delaware, with several compounds often detected in each water sample. Pesticide and metabolite (pesticide degradation products) concentrations were generally less than 1 microgram per liter, and were detected in sam-ples from 27 of 30 wells. Of the 45 pesticides and 13 metabolites analyzed, 19 compounds (13 pesticides and 6 metabolites) were detected in at least 1 of the 30 samples. Desethylatrazine, alachlor ethane sulfonic acid, metolachlor ethane sulfonic acid, metolachlor, and atrazine were the most frequently detected pesticide compounds, and were present in at least half the samples. None of the pesticide detections was above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Primary Maximum Contaminant Levels or Health Advisories. Volatile organic compounds also were present at low concentrations (generally less than 1 microgram per liter) in samples from all 30 wells. Of the 85 volatile organic com-pounds analyzed, 34 compounds were detected in at least 1 of the 30 samples. Chloroform, tetrachloroethene, and methyl tert-butyl ether were the most frequently detected volatile organic compounds, and were found in at least half the samples. None of the volatile organic compound detections was above U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Primary Maximum Contaminant Levels or Health Advisories. A few samples contained compounds with concentrations above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Primary Maximum Contaminant Levels or Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels for inorganic compounds and radionuclides. One sample out of 30 contained a concentration of nitrite plus nitrate above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Primary Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 milligrams per liter as nitrogen. Iron and manganese concentrations above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels were found in 7 of 30 ground-water samples, most of them from Sussex County. In the 10 wells sampled for radionuclides, only one sample had detectable levels of radium-224 and -226, and another sample contained detectable levels of radium-228; both of these samples also had detectable gross-alpha and gross-beta activities. None of these activities were above the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency's Primary Maximum Contaminant Levels or Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels. Radon was detected in all 10 samples, but was above the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed Primary Maximum Contaminant Level of 300 picocuries per liter in only one sample.

Open-File Report↗