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Results for “Mississippi Geology”

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

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At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
USGS2011

Geophysical data from offshore of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Cat Island to Western Horn Island, Mississippi

This report contains the geophysical and geospatial data that were collected along the western offshore side of the Gulf Islands of Mississippi on the research vessel Tommy Munro during two cruises in 2010. Geophysical data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and St. Petersburg, Forida, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District. Bathymetric-sonar, sidescan-sonar, and Chirp seismic-reflection data were acquired with the following equipment, respectively: Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd., SwathPlus interferometric sonars; Klein 3000 and 3900 dual-frequency sidescan sonars; and an EdgeTech 512i Chirp sub-bottom profiling system. The long-term goals of this mapping effort are to produce high-quality, high-resolution geologic maps and interpretations that can be utilized to identify sand resources within the region, to better understand the Holocene evolution, and to anticipate future changes in this coastal system. Processed geospatial data files and the geophysical data provided in this report help attain these goals.

Mississippi↗
USGS2024

Evaluation of fish passage for assessment of invasive carp deterrents at locks in the Upper Mississippi River

Invasive carp are established in the upper, middle, and lower Mississippi River and their expansion upstream threatens a variety of aquatic ecosystem services including fishing and recreational boating (U.S. Geological Survey, 2021). The physical and operational characteristics of Lock and Dam (LD) 19 restrict upstream movement of fishes because the only upstream fish passage route is through the lock chamber. This restriction might be hindering consistent reproduction and recruitment of Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and bighead carp H. nobilis (collectively referred to as bigheaded carp) enough to reduce their abundance upstream of LD 19. Locks and Dams 14 and 15 are infrequently in open-river condition (defined as the time when the adjustable spillway gates of the dam are raised out of the water, passing unobstructed water through the gates) and may also be limiting the continued upstream spread of invasive carp populations. Upstream passage of fishes at these locations would be limited to the lock chamber for the majority of the year (Wilcox et al., 2004; Bouska, 2021).

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin↗
USGS2016

Regional effects of agricultural conservation practices on nutrient transport in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Despite progress in the implementation of conservation practices, related improvements in water quality have been challenging to measure in larger river systems. In this paper we quantify these downstream effects by applying the empirical U.S. Geological Survey water-quality model SPARROW to investigate whether spatial differences in conservation intensity were statistically correlated with variations in nutrient loads. In contrast to other forms of water quality data analysis, the application of SPARROW controls for confounding factors such as hydrologic variability, multiple sources and environmental processes. A measure of conservation intensity was derived from the USDA-CEAP regional assessment of the Upper Mississippi River and used as an explanatory variable in a model of the Upper Midwest. The spatial pattern of conservation intensity was negatively correlated ( p = 0.003) with the total nitrogen loads in streams in the basin. Total phosphorus loads were weakly negatively correlated with conservation ( p = 0.25). Regional nitrogen reductions were estimated to range from 5 to 34% and phosphorus reductions from 1 to 10% in major river basins of the Upper Mississippi region. The statistical associations between conservation and nutrient loads are consistent with hydrological and biogeochemical processes such as denitrification. The results provide empirical evidence at the regional scale that conservation practices have had a larger statistically detectable effect on nitrogen than on phosphorus loadings in streams and rivers of the Upper Mississippi Basin.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS1993

Geological applications of multi-response permutation procedures

The multi-purpose permutation procedures (MRPP) test statistic is designed to analyze multivariate data at the ordinal or higher levels. It is based on the weighted averages of symmetric distance functions over all paired objects within a priori disjoint groups of objects from a finite population of objects where each object's response is a point in an r-dimensional space. Thus, the arguments of each r-dimensional point correspond to the r measured responses of each object in the finite population of objects. The null hypothesis underlying MRPP is that the observed sample of objects within groups of a specified size structure is randomly obtained from the pooled collection of objects comprising the finite population. The procedure is used to test the presumed geomorphic differences among three reaches of the Lower Mississippi River. A combination of the proposed reaches is favored and several variable-based reach configurations are proposed. ?? 1993 International Association for Mathernatical Geology.

Mathematical Geology↗
USGS2011

Trends and causes of historical wetland loss, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, southwest Louisiana

Prior U.S. Geological Survey studies (Open-File Reports 2005-1216 and 2009-1158) examined historical land- and water-area changes and estimated magnitudes of land subsidence and erosion at 10 wetland sites in the Mississippi River delta plain. The present study extends that work by analyzing interior wetland loss and relative magnitudes of subsidence and erosion at five additional wetland sites in Sabine National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) in the western chenier plain. The study sites were selected because their geologic setting differed from that of the delta plain; also, although the refuge marshes had been managed partly to minimize wetland loss, interior wetland losses there were extensive. Historical aerial photography, datum-corrected marsh elevations and water depths, and sediment cores were integrated to evaluate historical land- and water-area changes at SNWR. The thickness of the uppermost Holocene sediments (peat and organic-rich mud) and the elevation of stratigraphic contacts were compared at marsh and open-water sites across areas of formerly continuous marsh to estimate magnitudes of recent elevation loss caused by vertical erosion and subsidence. Results of these analyses indicate that erosion greatly exceeded subsidence at most of the core sites, although both processes have contributed to historical wetland loss. Comparison of these results with results of our prior studies indicates that magnitudes of subsidence and total accommodation space that formed in the western chenier plain were less than those in the delta plain. Compared with the delta plain, where subsidence generally exceeded erosion and peat thicknesses were so great that peat was preserved even where erosion was greater than subsidence, the SNWR peats are thin and were absent (eroded) at most open-water sites. Although historical subsidence rates in the chenier plain are substantially lower than most of the same rates in the delta plain, the temporal and spatial trends of rapid wetland loss, highest rates of land-surface subsidence, and high rates of oil-and-gas production are similar, indicating that historical wetland loss was likely initiated by similar processes (deep-subsurface subsidence) in both regions.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

Analyses of native water and dredged material from southern Louisiana waterways, 1975-76

From June 1975 to July 1976 the U.S. Geological Survey conducted nine dredging and seven postdredging studies related to water quality in selected reaches of major navigable waterways of southern Louisiana. Samples were collected from the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, Mississippi River at Southwest Pass, Mississippi River at New Orleans, Bayou Rigaud near Grand Isle, Barataria Bay and Waterway, Bayou La Carpe near Houma, Atchafalaya Bay (Ship Channel), Lower Atchafalaya River area, Intracoastal Waterway near Calumet, Intracoastal Waterway (Port Allen to Morgan City), Petite Anse area, and Calcasieu River and Ship Channel. These studies were conductd to determine potential environmental effects of dredging activities in the waterways. The Geological survey collected, treated, and analyzed 383 water and water-sediment mixture samples from 85 dredging sites and 142 postdredging samples (72 sites). Water samples were collected 100 yards upstream and downstream from the dredge effluent, from the disposal area, and from the effluent outfall during the dredge phase of the study; samples were collected at former dredge sites during the postdredging phase. Samples were analyzed for selected metals, pesticides, nutrients, and organic constituents. The analytical data are presented in tables. Sampling sites are shown on maps. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

II.-Subaerial Deposits of the Arid Region of North America

A Comparison of adobe with the loess of China forms the concluding part of this paper; but as no analyses of the Chinese deposit are known to me, a few analyses of the loess of the Mississippi Valley are inserted, not with the assumption, however, that the deposits bearing the same name in these two regions are identical. A comparison of this table with the one showing the composition of adobe is instructive, as it indicates that these two yellow earths have a very similar composition. There are other respects in which they bear a close resemblance to each other; but as my acquaintance with the loess of the Mississippi Valley is limited, this comparison will not be carried further.

Geological Magazine↗
USGS1967

The Amazon, measuring a mighty river

The Amazon, the world's largest river, discharges enough water into the sea each day to provide fresh water to the City of New York for over 9 years. Its flow accounts for about 15 percent of all the fresh water discharged into the oceans by all the rivers of the world. By comparison, the Amazon's flow is over 4 times that of the Congo River, the world's second largest river. And it is 10 times that of the Mississippi, the largest river on the North American Continent.

Amazon River↗
USGS1958

The next decade in geochemistry

The purpose, associations, functions; and activities of the Geochmical Society are reviewed briefly. Work on the Colorado Plateau uranium deposits is described as an example of what geochemical research, in conjunction with detailed field work, mineralogical studies, and related techniques can contribute to the understanding of a type of deposit. It is pointed out that not only have these studies given a great deal of information about the origin of the ores, but they have brought about directly a manifold increase in production and reserves of uranium in the United States. Indirectly, they aided the discovery of the tremendous deposits of the Blind River area in Ontario. It is suggested that similar broad cooperative attacks could not only yield comparable results with other types of mineral deposits, such as laterites and Mississippi Valley type lead-zinc deposits, but could also advance our knowledge and understanding of such diverse problems of geology and cosmology as the origin of granites, origin and geologic implications of meteorites (including tektites), origin and search for petroleum, and geochemical relations and interpretations of natural waters. For each of these problems methods of approach are outlined and for some of them, specific projects and correlative problems are mentioned. It is further suggested that the broad cooperative attack needed for most of these problems might be fostered most effectively by a programme comparable to that of the I.G.Y., even though for most types of geochemical research synoptic sampling and observations are not as important as they are for many projects in geophysics.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗
USGS2000

Monitoring The Water Quality of the Nation's Large Rivers Colorado River NASQAN Program

Since 1995, the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) of the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) has focused on monitoring the water quality of the Nation's largest rivers including the Colorado, Columbia, Mississippi, and Rio Grande. The NASQAN program in the Colorado River Basin consists of eight stations that span seven basin States including Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Data collected from these stations are used to quantify the transport of chemical constituents and evaluate trends in water quality of the river. Currently, the NASQAN program in the Colorado River Basin is providing necessary data and information required by resource managers of the river who are responsible for meeting longstanding legal agreements that regulate the flow and quality of the river water.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2024

Occurrence of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in groundwater and tapwater, town of Campbell, Wisconsin, 2021–22

In response to previous reports of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in French Island’s (located in the Mississippi River within the town of Campbell, Wisconsin) primary source of drinking water, 11 locations were sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in October 2021 to assess the potential presence of contaminant mixtures, including PFAS, in tapwater. Three locations were assessed seven times each over the course of three days. These samples were chosen to evaluate the water quality of the deeper Mount Simon bedrock aquifer and the water quality of the shallower sand and gravel (alluvial) aquifer at two locations. The other eight sample locations were spatially distributed within Campbell and were sampled once each. For each of these 11 sites, tapwater samples were analyzed for disinfection byproducts (DBP), pesticides, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), volatile organic compounds (VOC), cations, anions, trace elements, alkalinity, microbial indicators, as well as measurements of water temperature, specific conductance, and pH. Of the 506 organic compounds analyzed in each water-quality sample, 74 (14 percent) were detected at least one time in any of the samples collected. Of the 14 percent, detected analytes included 27 pesticides (5 percent), 14 PFAS (3 percent), 6 pharmaceuticals (1 percent), 7 SVOC (1 percent), and 20 VOC (4 percent). No DBP were detected. The total number of organic compounds detected per sample ranged from 0–20 (median of 10), with the sum of concentrations ranging from not detected (nd)–2.53 micrograms per liter (μg/L; median of 0.333 μg/L). Of the inorganic constituents measured, eight were not detected above their reporting limit in any of the samples. The inorganic constituents that were not detected were antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, molybdenum, selenium, and vanadium. Along with the 11 sites sampled throughout Campbell, Wisconsin, beginning in October 2021, four more wells were sampled on the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) campus for PFAS. Three of these sites withdraw water from the shallow alluvial aquifer (the same source water for tapwater site 002) and one from the Mount Simon aquifer (the same source of water for tapwater site 001). This sampling is ongoing with results from samples through December 2022 summarized in this report. Of the 33 PFAS analyzed in samples from the four UMESC locations, 15 individual PFAS were detected at least one time in any of the samples analyzed with the sum of PFAS concentrations ranging from nd–1.49 μg/L (median of 0.309 μg/L).

Wisconsin↗
USGS1985

Ground-water quality data from the northern Mississippi embayment: Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi

Forty-five analyses of ground-water quality from 42 selected wells in the McNairy-Nacatoch-Ripley and lower Wilcox aquifers of the northern Mississippi embayment have been compiled as part of the Gulf Coast Regional Aquifer System Analysis (RASA) project of the U.S. Geological Survey. Thirty-seven wells were sampled during the period October 1983 to September 1984 specifically for this RASA study; three of these wells were sampled twice. Five wells were sampled during the period January 1981 to March 1985 for other projects. All 45 analyses are included herein as a single data base that will be used for geochemical modeling of mineral saturation and mass transfer in the McNairy-Nacatoch-Ripley aquifer. The report contains two figures, six tables of data, and a brief documentation of the methods used for sample collection and analysis. The figures are maps showing locations of sampling sites for each of the two aquifers. The tables of data include (1) well descriptions and (2) concentrations of major constituents, trace constituents, dissolved gases, stable and unstable isotopes of low mass (C, H, 0, and S>, and unstable isotopes of high mass (Rn, Ra, and U).

Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tenness↗
USGS2002

Experimental Acoustic Velocity Measurements in a Tidally Affected Stream

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) constructed a continuous steamgaging station on the tidally affected Escatawpa River at Interstate 10 near Orange Grove, Mississippi, in August 2001. The gage collects water quantity parameters of stage and stream velocity, and water quality parameters of water temperature, specific conductance, and salinity. Data are transmitted to the local USGS office via the GOES satellite and are presented on a near real-time web page. Due to tidal effects, the stream has multiple flow regimes which include downstream, bi-directional, and reverse flows. Advances in acoustic technology have made it possible to gage streams of this nature where conventional methods have been unsuccessful. An experimental mount was designed in an attempt to recognize, describe, and quantify these flow regimes by using acoustic Doppler equipment.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2001

Annual suspended sediment and trace element fluxes in the Mississippi, Columbia, Colorado, and Rio Grande drainage basins

Suspended sediment, sediment-associated, total trace element, phosphorus (P), and total organic carbon (TOC) fluxes were determined for the Mississippi, Columbia, Rio Grande, and Colorado Basins for the study period (the 1996, 1997, and 1998 water years) as part of the US Geological Survey's redesigned National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) programme. The majority (??? 70%) of Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Ba, P, As, Fe, Mn, and Al are transported in association with suspended sediment; Sr transport seems dominated by the dissolved phase, whereas the transport of Li and TOC seems to be divided equally between both phases. Average dissolved trace element levels are markedly lower than reported during the original NASQAN programme; this seems due to the use of 'clean' sampling, processing, and analytical techniques rather than to improvements in water quality. Partitioning between sediment and water for Ag, Pb, Cd, Cr, Co, V, Be, As, Sb, Hg, and Ti could not be estimated due to a lack of detectable dissolved concentrations in most samples. Elevated suspended sediment-associated Zn levels were detected in the Ohio River Basin and elevated Hg levels were detected in the Tennessee River, the former may affect the mainstem Mississippi River, whereas the latter probably do not. Sediment-associated concentrations of Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Co, Ba, Mo, Sb, Hg, and Fe are markedly elevated in the upper Columbia Basin, and appear to be detectable (Zn, Cd) as far downstream as the middle of the basin. These elevated concentrations seem to result from mining and/or mining-related activities. Consistently detectable concentrations of dissolved Se were found only in the Colorado River Basin. Calculated average annual suspended sediment fluxes at the mouths of the Mississippi and Rio Grande Basins were below, whereas those for the Columbia and Colorado Basins were above previously published annual values. Downstream suspended sediment-associated and total trace element fluxes increase in the Mississippi and Columbia Basins, whereas fluxes markedly decrease in the Colorado Basin. No consistent pattern in trace element fluxes was detected in the Rio Grande Basin.

Hydrological Processes↗
USGS2019

Use of a towed electromagnetic induction (tTem) system for shallow aquifer characterization – An example from the Mississippi Alluvial Plain

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) aquifer system is a vital resource that supports agriculture in one of the most productive regions of the country. The U.S. Geological Survey Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) is conducting a multi-discipline investigation of the MAP aquifer system. The investigation is utilizing borehole, surface, and airborne geophysical methods to improve the characterization and understanding of the aquifer. The combination of geophysical data collected over a range of spatial scales with varying depths of investigation and resolution is key to determining the distribution of sand and clay within the aquifer. Mobile geophysical methods that enable continuous measurements over large areas improve aquifer characterization with their increased spatial coverage. In support of the MAP investigation, a new towed Time-Domain Electromagnetic (tTEM) imaging system developed by Aarhus University was used near Shellmound, Mississippi (MS), to delineate the distribution of coarse- and fine-grained sediments underlying the site. The tTEM results compare favorably with the results of airborne EM (AEM) surveys flown in the study and improve the resolution of sand and gravel distribution within the tTEM depth of investigation.

Mississippi↗
USGS1993

Epigenetic sulfide mineralization associated with Pennsylvanian paleokarst in eastern Iowa, U.S.A.

Paleokarst-associated, sulfide-bearing mineral deposits are wide-spread in the Paleozoic carbonate rocks of eastern Iowa. Minerals occur in nodules enclosed in karst-filling mudstones, as sandstone cements, and as surface coatings on, and fracture fillings in, foundered carbonate rock clasts. Mineralogy and paragenetic sequence vary among the occurrences. Sulfur isotopic compositions exhibit wide variations within and among deposits (??34S = -33.8 to + 35.1???). Oxygen isotopic compositions of fracture-filling calcite spars (??18O = -8.41 to + 3.60???) are similar to the isotopic compositions of their carbonate rock hosts. Calcite spars are somewhat depleted in ??13C relative to host rock [??13C (spars) = - 5.66 to + 0.24??? vs. -1.54 to + 1.21??? (host rock)]. Results of mineralogic, paragenetic and isotopic investigations suggest that: (1) minerals are products of multiple events operating on a local, rather than a regional scale; (2) spatially-disjunct fracture-filling mineral deposits exposed in the same quarries are probably not cogenetic with paleokarst-associated deposits; (3) paleokarst-filling calcite spars formed at near-surface temperatures; and (4) paleokarst-associated deposits are probably not cogenetic with Upper Mississippi Valley ZnPb pitch-flat deposits. ?? 1993.

Chemical Geology↗
USGS1963

Studies of fluid inclusions iii: Extraction and uantitative analysis of inclusions in the milligram range

A method has been developed for the extraction and chemical microanalysis of individual fluid inclusions , or groups of inclusions , in the milligram range . Usable quantitative analyses for Na, K, Ca, Mg, CI, B, and SO* have been obtained of mineral samples containing several milligrams of inclusion fluid , and with increased experimental errors, on fractional milligram samples. The steps involved are: 1) concentration of inclusions by sample selection and cutting; 2) electrolytic cleaning; 3) crushing in soft copper sample tube in vacuo; 4) conversion of emitted water to hydrogen and determination of its volume; 5) mass spectrometric determination of the D/H ratio if desired; 6) leaching of the crushed mineral to dissolve soluble salts remaining; 7) microanalysis of the filtrate by sensitive colorimetric and flame photometric methods. The method has been applied to determine the composition of fluid inclusions in mineral samples from several types of deposits, with special attention to a series of samples from Mississippi Valley-type ore deposits.

Economic Geology↗