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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 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
USGS2010

River-corridor habitat dynamics, Lower Missouri River

Intensive management of the Missouri River for navigation, flood control, and power generation has resulted in substantial physical changes to the river corridor. Historically, the Missouri River was characterized by a shifting, multithread channel and abundant unvegetated sandbars. The shifting channel provided a wide variety of hydraulic environments and large areas of connected and unconnected off-channel water bodies. Beginning in the early 1800s and continuing to the present, the channel of the Lower Missouri River (downstream from Sioux City, Iowa) has been trained into a fast, deep, single-thread channel to stabilize banks and maintain commercial navigation. Wing dikes now concentrate the flow, and revetments and levees keep the channel in place and disconnect it from the flood plain. In addition, reservoir regulation of the Missouri River upstream of Yankton, South Dakota, has substantially changed the annual hydrograph, sediment loads, temperature regime, and nutrient budgets. While changes to the Missouri River have resulted in broad social and economic benefits, they have also been associated with loss of river-corridor habitats and diminished populations of native fish and wildlife species. Today, Missouri River stakeholders are seeking ways to restore some natural ecosystem benefits of the Lower Missouri River without compromising traditional economic uses of the river and flood plain.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2016

White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates

White-nose syndrome is a devastating wildlife disease that has killed millions of hibernating bats. This disease first appeared in New York during 2007 and has continued to spread at an alarming rate from the northeastern to the central United States and throughout eastern Canada. The disease is named for the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans , which often appears white when it infects the skin of the nose, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. This fact sheet provides updates on white-nose syndrome research and management efforts and highlights US Geological Survey scientists’ contributions to understanding and combating this disease.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1968

Water resources of the Mississippi Headwaters Watershed, North-central Minnesota

The Mississippi Headwaters watershed is a 7,608 square mile area in north-central Minnesota which includes all land drained by the Mississippi River above the Crow Wing River. From its source in Lake Itasca, 1,460 feet above mean sea level, the Mississippi River follows a semicircular 376 mile course to where it leaves the watershed at an altitude of 1,150 feet. The origin of the river is in glacial moraine. The river flows through end moraines and rolling till plains, across an extensive outwash plain occupied by large reservoir lakes, and finally across an extensive marshy plain which is the bed of an ancient glacial lake. Glacial deposits in the watershed include till, lenses of sand and gravel in till, outwash deposits of sand and gravel, and lake deposits of fine sand, silt, and clay. Beneath the glacial drift is an uneven surface of Precambrian bedrock. Bedrock consists of igneous intrusives and metamorphosed sedimentary formations. Water resources in the area are abundant. Lakes and streams occupy about 8 percent of the surface of the area. Ground-water supplies are available from glacial drift and from bedrock.

Minnesota↗
USGS1985

Aeromagnetic map and analysis of aeromagnetic and aeroradioactivity data in the Blood Mountain, Chattahoochee, and Tray Mountain Roadless Areas, northern Georgia

The data for the aerornagnetic map of the Blood Mountain, Chattahoochee, and Tray Mountain Roadless Areas and vicinity were compiled from two separate airborne surveys {U.S. Geological Survey, 1977, 1981) produced in cooperation with the State of Georgia. These surveys were flown by fixed - wing aircraft in 1976 and 1981 at 500 ft (150 m) above mean terrain along rarallel flight lines oriented northwest-southeast. Flight-line spacing is 0.5 mi (0.8 km} for the 1981 survey, which covers the major part of the map, and l mi (1.6 km) for the 1976 survey, which covers the southeast corner of the map. The 1976 survey was adjusted to the magnetic level of the 1981 survey and recontoured where the surveys join. The International Geomagnetic Reference Field (Barraclough and Fabiano, 1975) has been removed from the data of each survey.

Georgia↗
USGS2002

A new method for GPS-based wind speed determinations during airborne volcanic plume measurements

Begun nearly thirty years ago, the measurement of gases in volcanic plumes is today an accepted technique in volcano research. Volcanic plume measurements, whether baseline gas emissions from quiescent volcanoes or more substantial emissions from volcanoes undergoing unrest, provide important information on the amount of gaseous output of a volcano to the atmosphere. Measuring changes in gas emission rates also allows insight into eruptive behavior. Some of the earliest volcanic plume measurements of sulfur dioxide were made using a correlation spectrometer (COSPEC). The COSPEC, developed originally for industrial pollution studies, is an upward-looking optical spectrometer tuned to the ultraviolet absorption wavelength of sulfur dioxide (Millán and Hoff, 1978). In airborne mode, the COSPEC is mounted in a fixed-wing aircraft and flown back and forth just underneath a volcanic plume, perpendicular to the direction of plume travel (Casadevall and others, 1981; Stoiber and others, 1983). Similarly, for plumes close to the ground, the COSPEC can be mounted in an automobile and driven underneath a plume if a suitable road system is available (Elias and others, 1998). The COSPEC can also be mounted on a tripod and used to scan a volcanic plume from a fixed location on the ground, although the effectiveness of this configuration declines with distance from the plume (Kyle and others, 1990). In the 1990’s, newer airborne techniques involving direct sampling of volcanic plumes with infrared spectrometers and electrochemical sensors were developed in order to measure additional gases such as CO2 and H2S (Gerlach and others, 1997; Gerlach and others, 1999; McGee and others, 2001). These methods involve constructing a plume cross-section from several measurement traverses through the plume in a vertical plane. Newer instruments such as open-path Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers are now being used to measure the gases in volcanic plumes mostly from fixed locations on the ground. Most FTIR studies to date measure only gas compositions or ratios of gas species (Love and others, 1998; Francis and others, 1998; Horrocks and others, 1999). What all of these methods have in common, however, is the necessity to know plume velocities if accurate gas emission rates are to be calculated. Even open-path FTIR studies done in tandem with a COSPEC require knowledge of plume velocity in order to compute emission rates.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Aeromagnetic and gravity data over the Central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM), Antarctica: a website for the distribution of data and maps

Near complete coverage of the East Antarctic Shield by ice hampers geological study of crustal architecture important for understanding global tectonic and climate history. Limited exposures in the central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM), however, show that Archean and Proterozoic rocks of the shield as well as Neoproterozoic-lower Paleozoic sedimentary successions were involved in oblique convergence associated with Gondwana amalgamation. Subsequently, the area was overprinted by Jurassic magmatism and Cenozoic uplift. To extend the known geology of the region to ice-covered areas, we conducted an aeromagnetic survey flown in draped mode by helicopters over the Central Transantarctic Mountains and by fixed-wing aircraft over the adjacent polar plateau. We flew more than 32,000 line km covering an area of nearly 60,000 km2 at an average altitude of 600 m, with average line spacing 2.5 km over most areas and 1.25 km over basement rocks exposed in the Miller and Geologists ranges. Additional lines flown to the north, south, and west extended preliminary coverage and tied with existing surveys. Gravity data was collected on the ground along a central transect of the helicopter survey area.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2012

Magnetic map of the Irish Hills and surrounding areas, San Luis Obispo County, central California

A magnetic map of the Irish Hills and surrounding areas was created as part of a cooperative research and development agreement with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company and is intended to promote further understanding of the areal geology and structure by serving as a basis for geophysical interpretations and by supporting geological mapping, mineral and water resource investigations, and other topical studies. Local spatial variations in the Earth's magnetic field (evident as anomalies on magnetic maps) reflect the distribution of magnetic minerals, primarily magnetite, in the underlying rocks. In many cases the volume content of magnetic minerals can be related to rock type, and abrupt spatial changes in the amount of magnetic minerals can be related to either lithologic or structural boundaries. Magnetic susceptibility measurements from the area indicate that bodies of serpentinite and other mafic and ultramafic rocks tend to produce the most intense magnetic anomalies, but such generalizations must be applied with caution because some sedimentary units also can produce measurable magnetic anomalies. Remanent magnetization does not appear to be a significant source for magnetic anomalies because it is an order of magnitude less than the induced magnetization. The map is a mosaic of three separate surveys collected by (1) fixed-wing aircraft at a nominal height of 305 m, (2) by boat with the sensor at sea level, and (3) by helicopter. The helicopter survey was flown by New-Sense Geophysics in October 2009 along flight lines spaced 150-m apart and at a nominal terrain clearance of 50 to 100 m. Tie lines were flown 1,500-m apart. Data were adjusted for lag error and diurnal field variations. Further processing included microleveling using the tie lines and subtraction of the reference field defined by International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) 2005 extrapolated to August 1, 2008.

California↗
USGS2013

Differential expression profiles of microRNA in the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) associated with white nose syndrome affected and unaffected individuals

First documented in New York State in 2006, white nose syndrome (WNS) quickly became the leading cause of mortality in hibernating bat species in the United States. WNS is caused by a psychrophilic fungus, Geomyces destructans. Clinical signs of this pathogen are expressed as a dusty white fungus predominately around the nose and on the wings of affected bats. Relatively new biomarkers, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) are being targeted as markers to predict the syndrome prior to the clinical manifestation. The primary objective of this study was to identify miRNAs that could serve as biomarkers and proxies of little brown bat health. Bats were collected from hibernacula that had tested positive and negative for WNS. Genetic sequencing was completed using the Ion Torrent platform. A number of miRNAs were identified from the liver as putative biomarkers of WNS. However, given the small sample size for each treatment, this data set has only coarsely identified miRNAs indicative of WNS, and further validation is required.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2014

Evaluation of aerial thermal infrared remote sensing to identify groundwater-discharge zones in the Meduxnekeag River, Houlton, Maine

Residents of the area near Houlton, Maine, have observed seasonal episodic blooms of algae and documented elevated concentrations of fecal-coliform bacteria and inorganic nutrients and low dissolved oxygen concentrations in the Meduxnekeag River. Although point and nonpoint sources of urban and agricultural runoff likely contribute to water-quality impairment, the role of shallow groundwater inflows in delivering such contaminants to the Meduxnekeag River has not been well understood. To provide information about possible groundwater inflows to the river, airborne thermal infrared videography was evaluated as a means to identify and classify thermal anomalies in a 25-mile reach of the mainstem and tributaries of the Meduxnekeag River near Houlton, Maine. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, collected thermal infrared images from a single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft during flights on December 3–4, 2003, and November 26, 2004. Eleven thermal anomalies were identified on the basis of data from the December 2003 flight and 17 from the November 2004 flight, which covered the same reaches of stream. Following image analysis, characterization, and prioritization, the georeferenced infrared images of the thermal anomalies were compared to features on topographic maps of the study area. The mapped anomalies were used to direct observations on the ground to confirm discharge locations and types of inflow. The variations in grayscale patterns on the images were thus confirmed as representing shallow groundwater-discharge zones (seeps), outfalls of treated wastewater, or ditches draining runoff from impervious surfaces.

Maine↗
USGS2020

Prioritizing habitats based on abundance and distribution of molting waterfowl in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area of the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska

The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) encompasses more than 9.5 million hectares of federally managed land on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska, where it supports a diversity of wildlife, including millions of migratory birds. Within the NPR-A, Teshekpuk Lake and the surrounding area provide important habitat for migratory birds, including large numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds that use the area for breeding and molting. This area has been designated by the Bureau of Land Management as the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA) and is estimated to host 22 percent of the entire Pacific black brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans ) population as it undergoes flightless wing molt. Additionally, numerous other waterfowl species use the area for breeding and molting, including greater white-fronted geese ( Anser albifrons ), snow geese ( Chen caerulescens ), Canada geese ( Branta hutchinsii ), and tundra swans ( Cygnus columbianus ). A data-derived procedure was developed to define important habitats based on recent distributions of molting birds. That procedure was used to identify areas that could be prioritized for exclusion from oil and gas development within a pre-defined “Goose Molting Area” in the TLSA. This analysis was requested by the Bureau of Land Management to provide information for the development of alternative scenarios for an updated NPR-A, Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement. Habitat selections were based on the population densities of Pacific black brant and Canada geese and pre-defined thresholds for the minimum fraction of the population contained within selected areas. Selections were based on long-term records of population density combined with global-positioning system data to reveal small-scale patterns of habitat use. The highest population density of the Pacific black brant was found along the Beaufort Sea coast on the eastern edge of the study area, whereas Canada geese were somewhat more widely distributed. Depending on the selection criteria and width of protective buffers placed around selected habitat units, 52–85 percent of the Goose Molting Area was identified as high-priority habitat. The effectiveness of this approach to habitat protection assumes that buffers around selected habitat units are wide enough to provide adequate protection from disturbance related to oil and gas development. This assumption remained a key source of uncertainty that could be addressed through additional study of disturbance effects on molting waterfowl.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Decision-support framework for linking regional-scale management actions to continental-scale conservation of wide-ranging species

Anas acuta (Northern pintail; hereafter pintail) was selected as a model species on which to base a decision-support framework linking regional actions to continental-scale population and harvest objectives. This framework was then used to engage stakeholders, such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives’ (LCCs’) habitat management partners within areas of importance to pintails, while maximizing cross-taxa effects from the framework. The mathematical framework for the model had been previously developed for pintails. A key assumption incorporated into the model is that density dependence in survival occurs during the post-hunting (winter) period, where resources are hypothesized to be limiting. Because few data are available to directly inform this process, the approach used was to build a hierarchical Bayesian integrated population model (IPM) that simultaneously uses data from bird-band recoveries, breeding population counts, and harvest surveys to estimate values of parameters of an annual population projection model, including population size, survival rate, reproductive rate, and process and observation error variances, that are logically consistent with each other, given the mathematical structure imposed through the IPM. The main accomplishments of this study are (1) development of an IPM for pintail to guide harvest and habitat management, (2) development of a Prairie Parkland Region breeding submodel to predict pintail productivity, (3) development of statistical methodology to estimate pintail productivity (as measured by the ratio of juvenile to adults in hunter-collected wing samples) and winter survival and to relate these estimates to covariates, and (4) illustration of how to use a model and estimated parameter values to predict pintail population size and sustainable harvest as a function of habitat. Estimation of pintail survival from bird-banding data shows that there has been relatively little variation in survival over the period 1960–2013. A productivity model showed strong effects of breeding ground conditions, wintering-ground precipitation, and density dependence on pintail productivity. Thus, most temporal variation in pintail demographic rates has been due to effects on reproduction and not survival, including effects of breeding or wintering-ground habitat. These results indicate that habitat conservation efforts may be most effective if they focus on maintaining or increasing breeding and wintering-ground habitat to increase pintail productivity rather than pintail survival. Environmental perturbations in excess of historical experience, such as what could occur under climate change, might have meaningful effects on survival but cannot be estimated with current data. Direct effects of climate, land use, or management are likely to be greater on productivity than survival, but substantial uncertainty remains about predictions of equilibrium population size and sustainable yield.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2025

Preliminary field report of landslide hazards following Hurricane Helene

Executive Summary This report reflects our knowledge regarding the widespread landslide activity associated with Hurricane Helene observed during the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) mission assignment to North Carolina in October 2024. The material in this report was originally prepared for the Federal Emergency Management Agency under mission assignment DR-4827-NC. The data and commentary in this report are reflective of a report provided to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on October 18, 2024, as well as information provided in briefings at the Buncombe County Emergency Operations Center. The report has been modified for public dissemination. This assessment was based on systematic visual examination and mapping of landslide locations from aerial and satellite imagery, visual and photographic observations from low-level helicopter overflights and conversations with local landslide experts from the North Carolina Geological Survey and Appalachian Landslide Consultants PLLC, and more than 50 years of combined landslide hazard professional experience of the mission-assigned field team. No systematic field investigations were done by the USGS. While responding to the event, the USGS did not identify any landslides that posed an immediate major threat to recovery personnel in parts of nine counties in North Carolina (Avery, Buncombe, Henderson, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Watauga, and Yancey); however, threats from renewed landslide activity may remain heightened in localized areas for months or even years. Known areas of the most abundant landslide occurrence include Bat Cave, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Fairview, steep areas in Asheville, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The USGS shared detailed locations of known landslides with the Emergency Operations Centers. The thousands of landslide scars on hillsides and landslide deposits on flatter ground may present some threat to recovery activities. Soil and rocks will continue to erode from newly exposed landslide scars and may pose a threat to people and infrastructure who are immediately nearby. In general, the steeper and taller the landslide scar, the greater the potential threat. This threat is heightened during periods of rainfall and increases with the duration and intensity of rainstorms. Very heavy rainfall, or repeated rainfall events during short periods, could also initiate new landslides on steep slopes. Excavation of landslide deposits, particularly excavation of those deposits directly adjacent to steep slopes, may also pose a threat to nearby people and equipment. An interagency collaborative mapping effort led by the USGS that informed this assessment identified 1,155 landslide locations by the October 2024 briefings, but that number increased to 2,217 in a final reviewed version of the locations published in January 2025. Locations were mapped from satellite imagery, fixed-wing and helicopter surveys, media and social media, and field reports in the 3 weeks following the passage of the remnants of Hurricane Helene. USGS products outlined in this report are publicly available and include geotagged photographs from aerial reconnaissance, hazard models, an interactive view of mapped landslide locations, and landslide safety and education resources.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgini↗
USGS1978

Report on the beach dynamics, geology, and oil spill susceptibility of the Gulf of Alaska coastline in Glacier Bay National Monument -- Sea Otter Creek to Icy Point

Observations of the Gulf of Alaska coastline in Glacier Bay National Monument were conducted between June 1975 and July 1977 to: (1) characterize the beach environment, and (2) assess the effects of an oil spill (fig. 1). These included overflights in June 1975, June 1976, July 1976, January 1977, May 1977, and July 1977 when photographic observations were made from small fixed-wing aircraft and field observations in June 1975, July 1976, January 1977, and July 1977. Field observations consisted of measuring beach morphology, sediment distribution, and vegetation type, and characterization of beach dynamics between Fairweather Glacier and La Perouse Glacier. Ninety sediment samples were collected and analyzed for grain size in the Menlo Park USGS sediment laboratory. Beach morphology at selected sites was determined by profiling from the limit of storm deposited debris (mostly wood) to the surf zone. In 1976, 30 profiles were made, ten of which were revisited in 1977. In all 55 profiles were measured. A qualitative estimate of the effects of an oil spill for the Monument coastline between Sea Otter Creek and Icy Point as well as each of the profile stations has been made based on field observations and a susceptibility scheme by Hayes and Owens (Hayes et al., 1976; Owens, 1977).

Alaska↗
USGS1978

Reconnaissance geotechnical study of the Lucerne Granite, Maine

Physical properties, including density and strength, of the Lucerne Granite (Wing, 1958) vary because of inhomogeneities caused by fracturing and differences in texture. Two granitic facies were found: a coarse-grained variety in the southern part of the body and near the edges of the pluton and a medium-grained porphyritic variety in the central and northern sections. Point-load strength tests indicate that the medium-grained porphyritic granite is stronger than the coarse-grained porphyritic or non-porphyritic granite. Results of bulk and grain density tests suggest that rock strength in the weaker granite samples is controlled by microfractures. In the pluton, joint trends changed from a scattered pattern in the north to a preferred orientation in the south. Because it has a simple joint pattern and is homogeneous in texture, the southern part of the Lucerne Granite is a more suitable area for excavation and fluid storage than the northern section.

Maine↗
USGS1978

Regional and local networks of horizontal control, Cerro Prieto geothermal area, Mexico

The Cerro Prieto geothermal area in the Mexicali Valley 30 km southeast of Mexicali, Baja California, is probably deforming due to (1) the extraction of large volumes of steam and hot water, and (2) active tectonism. Two networks of precise horizontal control were established in Mexicali Valley by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1977-78 to measure both types of movement as they occur. These networks consisted of (1) a regional trilateration net brought into the mountain ranges west of the geothermal area from survey stations on an existing U.S. Geological Survey crustal-strain network north of the international border, and (2) a local net tied to stations in the regional net and encompassing the area of present and planned geothermal production. Survey lines in this net were selected to span areas of probable ground-surface movements in and around the geothermal area. Electronic distance measuring (EDM) instruments, operating with a modulated laser beam, were used to measure the distances between stations in both networks. The regional net was run using a highly precise long-range EDM instrument, helicopters for transportation of men and equipment to inaccessible stations on mountain peaks, and a fixed wing airplane flying along the line of sight. Precision of measurements with this complex long-range system approached 0.2 parts per million of line length. The local net was measured with medium range EDM instrument requiring minimal ancillary equipment. Precision of measurements with this less complex system approached 3 parts per million for the shorter line lengths. The detection and analysis of ground-surface movements resulting from tectonic strains or induced by geothermal fluid withdrawal is dependent on subsequent resurveys of these networks.

Baja California↗
USGS1980

Helicopter airborne electromagnetic survey (using the Dighem II system) of parts of the Lake City caldera, Hinsdale County, Colorado

The data presented herein is from an airborne electromagnetic-resistivity-survey conducted by Dighem Limited of Toronto Canada for the U.S. Geological Survey. The area surveyed is located in the western San Juan Mountains near Lake City, Colorado. The general area covered is between 37°45' and 38° latitude north and 107°15' and 107°35' longitude west. The survey flying was confined to nine valleys which surround the Lake City caldera. Four blocks were surveyed from October 22 to October 27, 1979 for a total of 535 line - kilometers. The survey was flown as part of a mineral appraisal study conducted in cooperation with Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The survey was done to detect massive mineralization, mainly copper, and to locate conductive faults that may be suitable sites for uranium mineralization. To be useful, airborne electromagnetic measurements must be made within a few hundred feet of the surface. The area that was flown is so rugged that a helicopter rather than a fixed-wing aircraft was used. Fraser and Dvorak summarize the data of the survey areas as follows: in the east and south, the ground resistivities varied over a broad range—, from 20 to 1000 ohm-m. The western and northern parts of the area were characterized by resistivities mostly in the 300 to 1000 ohm-m range. Several weak to moderate EM anomalies were located that may warrant ground follow-up work.

Colorado↗
USGS1985

Inertial instrument system for aerial surveying

An inertial guidance system for aerial surveying has been developed under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey. This prototype system, known as the aerial profiling of terrain (APT) system, is designed to determine continuously the positions of points along an aircraft flight path, or the underlying terrain profile, to an accuracy of + or - 0.5 ft (15 cm) vertically and + or - 2 ft (61 cm) horizontally. The system 's objective thus is to accomplish, from a fixed-wing aircraft, what would traditionally be accomplished from ground-based topographic surveys combined with aerial photography and photogrammetry. The two-part strategy for measuring the terrain profile entails: (1) use of an inertial navigator for continuous determination of the three-coordinate position of the aircraft, and (2) use of an eye-safe pulsed laser profiler for continuous measurement of the vertical distance from aircraft to land surface, so that the desired terrain profile can then be directly computed. The APT system, installed in a DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft, is typically flown at a speed of 115 mph (105 knots) at an altitude of 2,000 ft (610 m) above the terrain. Performance-evaluation flights have shown that the vertical and horizontal accuracy specifications are met. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1994

A compilation of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide emission-rate data from Mount St. Helens during 1980-88

Airborne monitoring of Mount St. Helens by the USGS began inMay 1980 for sulfur dioxide emissions and in July 1980 forcarbon dioxide emissions. A correlation spectrometer, orCOSPEC, was used to measure sulfur dioxide in Mount St.Helens' plume. The upward-looking COSPEC was mounted in afixed-wing aircraft and flown below and at right angles to theplume. Typically, three to six traverses were made underneaththe plume to determine the SO2 burden (concentration xpathlength) within a cross-section of the plume. Knowing theburden along with the plume width and plume velocity (assumedto be the same as ambient wind speed), we could then calculatethe emission rate of SO2. The use of correlation spectroscopyfor determining the sulfur dioxide output of volcanoes is wellestablished and the technique has been discussed in detail bya number of investigators (Malinconico, 1979; Casadevall andothers, 1981; Stoiber and others, 1983).Carbon dioxide in the Mount St. Helens plume was measured byan infrared spectrometer tuned to the 4.26 um CO2 absorptionband. An external sample tube was attached to the fuselage ofa twin-engine aircraft to deliver outside air to the gas cellof the spectrometer. The aircraft was then flown at severaldifferent elevations through the plume at right angles toplume trajectory to define plume area and carbon dioxideconcentration in a vertical cross-section of the plume. Thesetwo parameters along with the density of CO2 for the altitudeof the plume and the plume velocity (assumed as above to beequal to ambient wind speed) were then used to calculate theCO2 emission rate.

Open-File Report↗