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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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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS1970

Pedro, Livengood, and Tanana: A study of place-names near Fairbanks, Alaska

In t he early hours of March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward completed the purchase of the remote and unexplored land known as Russian America, or Alaska. Discovered in 1741 by Vitus Bering, Alaska progressed from a Czarist colony to a territory of the United States, and finally, to its present status as the largest of the 50 States. As part of the commemoration of the centennial of Alaska's purchase, the U.S. Geological Survey published the Dictionary of Alaska Place Names. This paper is an outgrowth of my opportunity to participate in the compilation of the Dictionary. It presents a comparative study of the geographic names of a relatively small area comprising 11,000 square miles in the central part of Alaska lying between the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. The area studied was generally confined to the Fairbanks and Livengood 1: 250,000-scale maps, which are centered around Fairbanks, the supply center for interior and northern Alaska.

Alaska↗
USGS2018

GNIS-LD: Serving and visualizing the Geographic Names Information System Gazetteer as linked data

In this dataset description paper we introduce the GNIS-LD, an authoritative and public domain Linked Dataset derived from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) which was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. GNIS provides data about current, as well as historical, physical, and cultural geographic features in the United States. We describe the dataset, introduce an ontology for geographic feature types, and demonstrate the utility of recent linked geographic data contributions made in conjunction with the development of this resource. Co-reference resolution links to GeoNames.org and DBpedia are provided in the form of owl:sameAs relations. Finally, we point out how the adapted workflow is foundational for complex Digital Line Graph (DLG) data from the USGS National Map and how the GNIS-LD data can be integrated with DLG and other data sources such as sensor observations.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2016

The importance of species name synonyms in literature searches

The synonyms of biological species names are shown to be an important component in comprehensive searches of electronic scientific literature databases but they are not well leveraged within the major literature databases examined. For accepted or valid species names in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) which have synonyms in the system, and which are found in citations within PLoS, PMC, PubMed or Scopus, both the percentage of species for which citations will not be found if synonyms are not used, and the percentage increase in number of citations found by including synonyms are very often substantial. However, there is no correlation between the number of synonyms per species and the magnitude of the effect. Further, the number of citations found does not generally increase proportionally to the number of synonyms available. Users looking for literature on specific species across all of the resources investigated here are often missing large numbers of citations if they are not manually augmenting their searches with synonyms. Of course, missing citations can have serious consequences by effectively hiding critical information. Literature searches should include synonym relationships and a new web service in ITIS, with examples of how to apply it to this issue, was developed as a result of this study, and is here announced, to aide in this.

PLoS ONE↗
USGS1982

The nomenclatural enigma of single versus double -i endings for scientific patronyms emended to represent a man's name: A comment and some considerations

The current inconsistency over the use of single vs. double -i endings for singular masculine scientific patronyms in official lists of scientific names of fishes causes needless confusion and labor. Taxonomists once preferred rules for Latinization calling for double -i endings, but current rules suggest single -i endings. Recent rulings by the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature make it impossible to produce uniformity in this area. It is suggested that the Committee on Names of Fishes submit a petition to the Commission that modifies the present rules to allow the use of single -i endings in most cases and thus conform with current literature and the opinions of most ichthyologists.

Fisheries↗
USGS1938

Lexicon of geologic names of the United States (including Alaska)

The compilation of a lexicon of geologic names was suggested to the compiler more than 25 years ago, by Dr. T. W. Stanton, who served as chairman of the Committee on Geologic Names from 1912 to January 1931, when he became Acting Chief Geologist of the United States Geological Survey, and later served as Chief Geologist until his retirement September 30, 1935. Dr. Stanton suggested that the definitions should state, briefly, the lithology, thickness, age, underlying and overlying formations, and type locality and the formal definitions herein given have been compiled in accordance with that suggestion.

Bulletin↗
USGS1991

The identity of Pennant's 'Wapacuthu owl' and the subspecific name for the population of Bubo virginianus from the western Hudson Bay

The name Strix wapacuthu Gmelin, often used for the subspecies of Bubo virginianus west of Hudson Bay, cannot be associated with certainty with either B. virginianus or Nyctea scandiaca. The subspecific name of the population of B. virginianus from Mackenzie to central-eastern British Columbia and northern Ontario should be B. v. subarcticus Hoy.

Journal of Raptor Research↗
USGS1979

The naming (and misnaming) of America

Jim Jam Ridge winds for several hundred feet a long a spectacular section of the High Sierra, near the heart of northern California's Mother Lode country. According to local historians, its name dates back to a night in the late 1800s when a drunk prospector rolled into a campfire, exploding a handful of rifle shells in his pocket. The fatal incident left his two partners with a severe case of the "jim jams" a common term in those days for the "shakes" and that's how the name took hold.

National Wildlife↗
USGS1998

Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks

This edition of Common and Scientific Names of Invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks represents the efforts of 15 molluscan taxonomic specialists in compiling a comprehensive checklist of the mollusks found in North America and Canada and their vernacular names. Built upon the success of the first edition, the authors have updated the nomenclature to reflect recent phylogenetic analyses and have included more than 300 new species.

Book↗
USGS1968

New names for late Pleistocene diatom species

The homonyn Navicula rotunda Andrews is replaced by the name N. rotundella Andrews; the homonym Epithemia irregularis Andrews is replaced by the name E. emarginata Andrews. The diatoms are from Trempealeau Valley, Wisconsin (Andrews, 1966).

Wisconsin↗
USGS2020

Automated location correction and spot height generation for named summits in the coterminous United States

Spot elevations published on historical U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps were established as needed to enhance information imparted by the quadrangle’s contours. In addition to other features, labels were routinely placed on mountain summits. While some elevations were established through field survey triangulation, many were computed during photogrammetric stereo-compilation. Today, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers have replaced expensive triangulation methods. However, since GNSS measurements require visiting the feature location, a national dataset containing high-accuracy spot elevations has not yet been created. Consequently, modern U.S. Topo maps are devoid of mountain peak or other spot elevations. Still, topographic map users continue to demand the display of spot heights. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of automatically generating elevation values at named U.S. summits using available elevation data. The devised method uses an uphill stepping technique to find the most likely highest point in subsequently higher-resolution elevation models. Resulting elevation values are compared to other published sources. Results from 196 summits indicate that values derived from lidar are generally higher, whereas those populated from the one-third arc-second USGS Seamless 3DEP elevation dataset are generally lower. A thorough understanding of these relationships require the evaluation of more points.

International Journal of Digital Earth↗
USGS2023

Named landforms of the World: A geomorphological and physiographic compilation

Prior to the current era of digital geomorphological mapping, global and regional-scale land surface characterization was advanced by qualitative interpretations that relied on human visualization aided by disciplinary knowledge of geophysical processes combined with extensive field study. In the early twentieth century, Fenneman proposed to devise systematic physiographic divisions of the United States and in 1916 produced what is still regarded as an authoritative map of these divisions. His physiographic regions were developed to provide context when describing land surface characteristics of smaller areas using well-known regional characteristics and descriptors. In 1968, geographer Richard E. Murphy published a large-format map of the “Landforms of the World” to fill a gap in the suite of standard classroom maps. In 1990, the British geomorphologist E. M. Bridges published World Geomorphology , providing the first global treatment and description of divisions, provinces, and sections—the same hierarchical land partitioning concepts that Fenneman used decades earlier. In the twenty-first century, geographic information systems (GIS) technologies are nearly ubiquitous, yet neither Murphy’s nor Bridges’s work existed as GIS data. To further illuminate their pioneering work, we (1) recompiled Murphy’s landforms as a spatial combination of modern existing data layers, and (2) used the recompiled Murphy’s landforms as a basis for the boundaries of the divisions, provinces, and sections described by Bridges. Our aggregation yields a new resource, Named Landforms of the World, version 2.0, which provides a reference-level, basemap-quality data layer that can significantly facilitate mapping, assessing, and understanding Earth surface features.

Annals of the AAG↗
USGS2018

Taxonomic evaluation of the three “type” specimens of the fringe-footed shrew, Sorex fimbripes Bachman, 1837 (Mammalia: Soricidae) and recommended nomenclatural status of the name

John Bachman (1837:391) described the “fringe-footed shrew,” Sorex fimbripes Bachman, 1837, in his landmark monograph on the North American Soricidae (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla), in which he recognized 13 uniquely New World species. Characters he attributed to S. fimbripes resulted in its being interpreted as a tiny, semi-aquatic species and contributed to the complexity of its subsequent taxonomic history. The status and location of the holotype, which should aid in resolving questions about the nature of S. fimbripes, instead have added to the confusion. Originally studied by Bachman in South Carolina, the holotype was later thought to have been identified in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP), and it is currently considered to be in the National Museum of Natural History (USNM), Washington, D.C. To clarify the identity of the species and its holotype, I compared descriptions of the holotype and the ANSP type with the USNM specimen and with eight species of eastern North American shrews. I conclude that the three accounts of S. fimbripes refer to three different specimens and that the holotype was probably destroyed during the American Civil War. Bachman's S. fimbripes was most likely equivalent to S. cinereus Kerr, 1792, S. fontinalis Hollister, 1911, or S. fumeus Miller, 1895, but without the holotype, its identity cannot be determined definitively, and the name is a nomen dubium.

Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washingto↗
USGS1988

Codes for the identification of aquifer names and geologic units in the United States and the Caribbean outlying areas

This standard provides codes to be used for the identification of aquifer names and geologic units in the United States, the Caribbean and other outlying areas. Outlying areas include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Midway Islands, Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, and miscellaneous Pacific Islands. Each code identifies an aquifer or rock-stratigraphic unit and its age designation. The codes provide a standardized base for use by organizations in the storage, retrieval, and exchange of ground-water data; the indexing and inventory of ground-water data and information; the cataloging of ground-water data acquisition activities; and a variety of other applications.

Circular↗
USGS1985

Codes for the identification of aquifer names and geologic units in the United States and the Caribbean outlying areas

This standard provides codes to be used for the identification of aquifer names and geologic units in the United States, the Caribbean and other outlying areas. Outlying areas include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Midway Islands, Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, and miscellaneous Pacific Islands. Each code identifies an aquifer or rock-stratigraphic unit and its age designation. The codes provide a standardized base for use by organizations in the storage, retrieval, and exchange of ground-water data; the indexing and inventory of ground-water data and information; the cataloging of ground-water data acquisition activities; and a variety of other applications.

Circular↗
USGS1977

Seepage tests on No Name Creek, Colville Indian Reservation, Washington, May 12-13, 1977

To gain information for a water-management situation, a seepage test was performed on May 12-13, 1977, on a reach of No Name Creek on the Colville Indian Reservation in north-central Washington. On May 13, injection of a concentrated brine at the head of the test reach permitted chloride-concentration data to be combined with the discharge measurements made to define the pattern of gain and loss along the reach. Equations describing discharge and chloride mass balance were used to determine this pattern of gain and loss. The seepage tests showed that the streamflow gain of at least 0.58 cfs from springflow contributions was offset by losses of at least 0.59 cfs over the same reach. (Woodard-USGS)

Washington↗
USGS1978

Geologic names of Ordovician rock-stratigraphic units exposed in Kentucky

This report summarizes and indexes the current usage of geologic names of exposed rock-stratigraphic units of Ordovician age in Kentucky. The Ordovician rocks crop out mainly in two separate areas in Kentucky (fig. 1). The larger area of outcrop, covering much of the middle part of the state, forms the major part of the Blue Grass region of Kentucky. Outcrops of this region are contiguous with outcrops of Ordovician rocks in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana. The smaller area of fairly continuous outcrops of Ordovician rocks lies south of the Blue Grass region along the Cumberland River and its tributaries. These outcrops are contiguous with outcrops of Ordovician rocks in Tennessee. A few isolated exposures of Ordovician rocks lie outside the areas of continuous outcrop.

Kentucky↗
USGS2026

Capitalization of positional (Lower/Middle/Upper) and temporal (Early/Middle/Late) adjectives in the names of formal chronostratigraphic and geochronologic units of the Phanerozoic

Many authors are understandably confused about the capitalization of the words “lower,” “middle,” “upper,” “early,” and “late.” Where these words are used simply as descriptive adjectives, they should be in lowercase; where they form the first word of a formal chronostratigraphic or geochronologic unit name, they should be in uppercase.

Professional Paper↗