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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS2020

Preliminary geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands

Introduction This geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands is a compilation of information from the literature, integrated to provide a seamless geologic map of the region. The geology shown on sheet 1 covers Cuba, the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A second more detailed sheet shows the geology of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The map units shown here are integrated across the islands of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands. The Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands, although they appear to reflect the character of a magmatic arc, actually represent multiple, distinct geologic features. Only in Cuba are there unquestioned Jurassic-age, and perhaps older, rocks present. On the islands of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico, metamorphic assemblages contain rocks that may be of Jurassic age. Ophiolite assemblages that may include rocks of Jurassic age are present in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. Metamorphic rocks of Cretaceous age are more widespread, present in Cuba, Hispaniola, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Cretaceous plutonic rocks are present in Cuba and Puerto Rico, as well as in the Dominican Republic (in the Cordillera Central and in the eastern part of the country). Gabbro and trondhjemite of inferred Early Cretaceous age are present in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Cretaceous volcanic rocks are widespread in Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands; they are of variable age and do not appear to reflect a single arc system. Cretaceous volcanic rocks are also found in Jamaica, in inliers on the eastern part of the island. Eocene volcanic rocks are prominent in southern Cuba, Haiti, eastern Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Volcanic rocks possibly as young as early Miocene are present in the southern Dominican Republic; the youngest volcanic rocks in the region are the Low Layton Lavas of Jamaica of late Miocene age and alkali basalt of Quaternary age on Hispaniola. Carbonate rocks are an important component of the sedimentary section in the Greater Antilles, which is as old as Jurassic in Cuba and as young as Holocene in many areas. In Cuba, Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks tend to be dominantly carbonates; volcanic clasts and debris are not present until the Late Cretaceous in Cuba, as well as in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. In contrast, Early Cretaceous volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks are common in the Virgin Islands. Olistostrome deposits are commonly described in latest Cretaceous and Eocene rocks; in the Paleocene and the early Eocene, these deposits are commonly associated with mélange units. Volcanic debris and tuff are common in sedimentary rocks of Paleocene and Eocene age, typically associated with carbonate rocks. Sedimentary rocks that postdate the Eocene either are dominantly carbonates or are mixed clastic and carbonate rocks in which the clastic component reflects erosion of earlier units, including older carbonate rocks. Rocks that contain lignite, which are only present in Cuba and on Hispaniola, generally are of Miocene age.

Greater Antilles, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin ↗
USGS1978

Maps showing formation temperatures and configurations of the tops of the Minnelusa Formation and the Madison Limestone, Powder River basin, Wyoming, Montana, and adjacent areas

This report is part of a study to describe the hydrogeologic framework needed to evaluate the water resources of the Paleozoic age aquifers in the Northern Great Plains coal region. Preliminary studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and State agencies in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota have indicated that these aquifers might provide a significant percentage of the water requirements for coal development. Geologic and water-temperature data for the Minnelusa Formation of Permian and Pennsylvanian age and for the Madison Limestone (Group where it is subdivided) of Mississippian and locally late Devonian age , and their equivalents, were compiled and interpreted. Maps were produced showing the altitude and ground-water temperatures of the top of these formations. The altitude (configuration) maps show the depth and position of the formations throughout the area. Temperature maps can be used to calculate changes in the viscosity of water caused by large temperature differences. The viscosity differences will be useful in adjusting calculated transmissivity aquifer values (the rate at which water can be transmitted through an aquifer). (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2000

Probability of detecting atrazine/desethyl-atrazine and elevated concentrations of nitrate plus nitrate as nitrogen in ground water in the Idaho part of the western Snake River Plain

As ground water continues to provide an ever-growing proportion of Idaho?s drinking water, concerns about the quality of that resource are increasing. Pesticides (most commonly, atrazine/desethyl-atrazine, hereafter referred to as atrazine) and nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen (hereafter referred to as nitrate) have been detected in many aquifers in the State. To provide a sound hydrogeologic basis for atrazine and nitrate management in southern Idaho—the largest region of land and water use in the State—the U.S. Geological Survey produced maps showing the probability of detecting these contaminants in ground water in the upper Snake River Basin (published in a 1998 report) and the western Snake River Plain (published in this report). The atrazine probability map for the western Snake River Plain was constructed by overlaying ground-water quality data with hydrogeologic and anthropogenic data in a geographic information system (GIS). A data set was produced in which each well had corresponding information on land use, geology, precipitation, soil characteristics, regional depth to ground water, well depth, water level, and atrazine use. These data were analyzed by logistic regression using a statistical software package. Several preliminary multivariate models were developed and those that best predicted the detection of atrazine were selected. The multivariate models then were entered into a GIS and the probability maps were produced. Land use, precipitation, soil hydrologic group, and well depth were significantly correlated with atrazine detections in the western Snake River Plain. These variables also were important in the 1998 probability study of the upper Snake River Basin. The effectiveness of the probability models for atrazine might be improved if more detailed data were available for atrazine application. A preliminary atrazine probability map for the entire Snake River Plain in Idaho, based on a data set representing that region, also was produced. In areas where this map overlaps the 1998 map of the upper Snake River Basin, the two maps show broadly similar probabilities of detecting atrazine. Logistic regression also was used to develop a preliminary statistical model that predicts the probability of detecting elevated nitrate in the western Snake River Plain. A nitrate probability map was produced from this model. Results showed that elevated nitrate concentrations were correlated with land use, soil organic content, well depth, and water level. Detailed information on nitrate input, specifically fertilizer application, might have improved the effectiveness of this model.

Idaho↗
USGS1906

Geology and underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado

In the valley of Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado there is an area of considerable extent in which artesian flows are available. During the last ten years numerous wells have been sunk to develop this important resource and, in most cases in the lower lands, abundant water supplies have been obtained. The principal water-bearing bed is the "Dakota" formation, which consists of two sheets of porous sandstone separated by a small body of clay and overlain in the greater portion of the area by a mass of impervious shales. The sandstones receive their waters from, rainfall and from the sinking of streams along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and on some of the higher slopes south of the Arkansas Valley. In the passage of this sandstone underground, the waters which it contains are held down by the overlying shales, but, as some of the sandstone outcrops are at relatively low levels to the east only a moderate head or pressure is sustained. On account of this low head, artesian flows are available only in the lower lands, and one of the principal objects of this investigation has been the determination of the area in which flows are to be expected. The "Dakota" sandstone and associated formations do not lie level, or even slope regularly to the east, but are flexed into low arches and shallow troughs of considerable complexity of configuration. Accordingly, in investigating this source of water supply, it has been necessary to ascertain the structure and distribution of the various formations in order to indicate the variations in depth to the water-bearing stratum. The principal results of these investigations are set forth: (1) In the geologic map (Pl. VI), which shows the distribution of the formations on the surface; (2) in the map, Pl. XXV, which shows the depth to the water-bearing horizon, the area in which flows are expected, the head of the underground waters, and other features, and (3) in the cross sections (Pls. VII and XXIII), which show the principal underground features. The investigation has been in progress for several years and is an extension of the preliminary examination of the region by G. K. Gilbert in 1894 and 1895. For the western portion of the area the maps and texts of the Pueblo, Elmoro, Walsenburg, Spanish Peaks, and Pikes Peak folios have been utilized as far as practicable. For the central and eastern portions the larger features of the geology have been specially mapped, and considerable detailed mapping has been done in the region south and southeast of Canyon and Colorado Springs. In the field work I have been assisted by Mr. C. A. Fisher, who has examined in detail the Nepesta quadrangle and contributed numerous other data. Dr. W. S. Tangier Smith and Messrs. C. E. Sicbenthal and W. T. Lee have made observations in certain areas. Much valuable information respecting wells has been furnished by Mr. William Archer, of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, and Mr. C. H. McVay, well driller at Rocky Ford.

Colorado↗
USGS1979

Geologic interpretation of aeromagnetic map of the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles, Alaska

An aeromagnetic survey of the Seward and northern part of the Blying Sound quadrangles was flown by Geometrics, Inc., during 1975-77 to provide magnetic data to aid in an appraisal of the mineral resources. Background details of the regional geology and major structures are described in a companion report by Tysdal and Case (1979), and interpretation of the gravity data are described in a report by Case and others (1979). Preliminary reports of a paleomagnetic investigation have been reported by Hillhouse and Gromme (1977), and a more complete analysis of the results is in preparation. The aeromagnetic survey was flown at a nominal height of 300 m above the surface and flight lines were spaced about 1.7 km apart. Total magnetic field was measured by a proton-precession magnetometer. The International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF), updated to 1976, was removed, and the residual values were computer-contoured to produce the aeromagnetic map (sheet 1). Detailed aeromagnetic maps at scale 1:63,360 and a map at scale 1:250,000 have been released as Open File Reports 78-1080 through 1083 (U.S. Geological Survey, 1978). Magnetic anomalies in the Seward-Blying Sound region are somewhat less complex than in other parts of south-central Alaska, primarily because of the huge volume of relatively nonmagnetic flysch that constitutes the Valdez and Orca Groups. Several rather isolated groups of mafic-ultramafic rocks are significantly more magnetic than the flysch assemblages, and cause distinctive patterns of magnetic anomalies. A few of the granitic plutons are magnetic, but most appear to have little or no magnetic expression.

Alaska↗
USGS1995

Preliminary geologic map of the Little Piute Mountains, San Bernardino County, California

Introduction The Little Piute Mountains in the eastern Mojave Desert expose a series of folds and thrust faults involving metamorphosed Paleozoic strata (Miller and others, 1982; Stone and others, 1983). Detailed mapping of these structures was undertaken to help elucidate regional Mesozoic structural evolution. Earlier geologic maps were prepared by Cooksley (1960a,b,c,d, generalized by Bishop, 1964) and Stone and others (1983). Deformed and metamorphosed Paleozoic and Triassic rocks form a stratal succession that was originally deposited in shallow seas on the North American craton. Based on lithologic sequence the units are correlated with unmetamorphosed equivalents 200 km to the northeast in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, and 35-50 km to the west in the Marble, Ship, and Providence Mountains, California (Stone and others, 1983). The Paleozoic sequence rests nonconformably on a heterogeneous basement of polydeformed Early Proterozoic gneiss (Miller and others, 1982; Wooden and Miller, 1990). Triassic and older rocks were deformed, metamorphosed to staurolite or andalusite grade, and intruded concordantly at their base by Late Cretaceous granodiorite (Miller and others, 1982).

California↗
USGS1992

Text and References To Accompany "Map Showing the Thickness and Character of Quaternary Sediments in the Glaciated United States East of the Rocky Mountains"

A 1:1,000,000-scale map of Quaternary deposits has been compiled for the glaciated area of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains (that is, the area covered by the Laurentide ice sheets). Parts of southern Ontario, areas beneath the Great Lakes, and parts of the submerged eastern seaboard are also included on the map. The map has three components that, together, provide the first regional three-dimensional view of these deposits. These map components are the surface distribution of Quaternary sediments, the total thickness of Quaternary sediments, and the distribution of significant buried Quaternary units. For many areas, this is the first map of Quaternary sediment thickness published at any scale. This report provides supporting information for the map, preliminary interpretations of sediment distribution, and the list of geologic sources used to generate the map. Within the mapped area, there is a particular need for three-dimensional geologic mapping to support decisions on water resources and land use. Approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population resides within the mapped area, which is less than one-quarter the size of the conterminous United States. This map is intended to supplement the more detailed mapping on which it is based and is designed to be a regional planning tool. Through the Pleistocene, large deposits of thick glacial sediment accumulated between certain late Wisconsinan glacial lobes, on bedrock topographic highs, whereas relatively thin deposits generally accumulated in the adjacent bedrock lowlands occupied by drainage and ice lobes. The lithology of the bedrock and its resistance to erosion in part controlled the patterns of ice lobation and the distribution of thick sediment. On a local scale, the spatial relation of these sediment masses to ice lobation has been suggested in places, and a regional correlation may have been assumed. This map provides the first comprehensive, regional view of glacial sediment thickness to permit such a correlation to be assessed.

Bulletin↗
USGS2012

Geologic map of the Cook Inlet region, Alaska, including parts of the Talkeetna, Talkeetna Mountains, Tyonek, Anchorage, Lake Clark, Kenai, Seward, Iliamna, Seldovia, Mount Katmai, and Afognak 1:250,000-scale quadrangles

In 1976, L.B. Magoon, W.L. Adkinson, and R.M. Egbert published a major geologic map of the Cook Inlet region, which has served well as a compilation of existing information and a guide for future research and mapping. The map in this report updates Magoon and others (1976) and incorporates new and additional mapping and interpretation. This map is also a revision of areas of overlap with the geologic map completed for central Alaska (Wilson and others, 1998). Text from that compilation remains appropriate and is summarized here; many compromises have been made in strongly held beliefs to allow construction of this compilation. Yet our willingness to make interpretations and compromises does not allow resolution of all mapping conflicts. Nonetheless, we hope that geologists who have mapped in this region will recognize that, in incorporating their work, our regional correlations may have required some generalization or lumping of map units. Many sources were used to produce this geologic map and, in most cases, data from available maps were combined, without generalization, and new data were added where available. A preliminary version of this map was published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1108. The main differences between the versions concern revised mapping of surfical deposits in the northern and eastern parts of the map area. Minor error corrections have been made also.

Alaska↗
USGS1987

Geologic map of the eastern equatorial region of Mars

The M ariner 9 mission in the early 1970’s provided the first comprehensive view of the geology of Mars (McCauley and others, 1972, Masursky , 1973) and led to the derivation of the first global geologic map ( Carr and others, 19 73). These preliminary studies were followed by more comprehensive mapping coordinated with the U.S. Geological Survey. Thirty quadrangles at a scale of 1:5 , 0 00,000 were produced in this map series, from which Scott and Carr (1978) compiled a single geologic map at a scale of 1:25,000,000. The reliability of these maps, however, is varied because of the uneven quality of the Mariner 9 data.

IMAP↗
USGS2014

Preliminary bedrock and surficial geologic map of the west half of the Sanders 30' x 60' quadrangle, Navajo and Apache Counties, northern Arizona

The bedrock and surficial geologic map of the west half of the Sanders 30' x 60' quadrangle was completed in a cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Navajo Nation to provide regional geologic information for management and planning officials. This report provides baseline geologic information that will be useful in future studies of groundwater and surface water resources, geologic hazards, and the distribution of soils and plants. The west half of the Sanders quadrangle encompasses approximately 2,509 km 2 (980 mi 2 ) within Navajo and Apache Counties of northern Arizona and is bounded by lat 35°30' to 35° N., long 109°30' to 110° W. The majority of the land within the map area lies within the Navajo Nation. South of the Navajo Nation, private and State lands form a checkerboard pattern east and west of Petrified Forest National Park. In the west half of the Sanders quadrangle, Mesozoic bedrock is nearly flat lying except near folds. A shallow Cenozoic erosional basin that developed about 20 Ma in the western part of the map area cut across late Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks that were subsequently filled with flat-lying Miocene and Pliocene mudstone and argillaceous sandstone and fluvial sediments of the Bidahochi Formation and associated volcanic rocks of the Hopi Buttes volcanic field. The Bidahochi rocks are capped by Pliocene(?) and Pleistocene fluvial sediments and Quaternary eolian and alluvial deposits. Erosion along northeast-southwest-oriented drainages have exposed elongated ridges of Bidahochi Formation and basin-fill deposits that are exposed through shallow eolian cover of similarly oriented longitudinal dunes. Stokes (1964) concluded that the accumulation of longitudinal sand bodies and the development of confined parallel drainages are simultaneous processes resulting in parallel sets of drainages and ridges oriented along the prevailing southwest wind direction on the southern Colorado Plateau.

Arizona↗
USGS2008

Preliminary Map of Potentially Karstic Carbonate Rocks in the Central and Southern Appalachian States

Karst is a landscape produced by dissolution of rocks and the development of integrated subterranean drainages dominated by the flow of ground water in solutionally enlarged conduits. Karst landscapes typically include cave entrances, sinkholes, blind valleys, losing streams, springs, and large and small-scale solution features on bedrock surfaces. Water-bearing rocks beneath the surface containing solutionally enlarged pores, fractures, or conduits are referred to as karst aquifers. About 40 percent of all ground water extracted in the United States comes from karst aquifers (Karst Waters Institute). Karst means many things to many people. To most cavers and many speleologists, karst means areas containing caves. To engineers, home builders, local governments, and insurance companies, karst is exemplified by the occurrence of sinkholes and subsidence hazard. To hydrologists, well drillers, and environmental consultants, the focus on karst may be more limited to karst aquifers and springs. Precise figures are not available, but ground collapses in karst areas in the United States require hundreds of millions of dollars in repair and mitigation costs each year. Most karst in the United States is formed in either carbonate or evaporite rocks. This map depicts only areas of carbonate rock outcrop, the chief host for karst formation in the eastern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI), the National Speleological Society (NSS), and various State geological surveys, is working on a new national karst map that will delineate areas of karst and karst-like features nationwide. This product attempts to identify potentially karstic areas of the Appalachian states as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), with the addition of the state of Delaware. This map is labeled preliminary because there is an expectation that it will be revised and updated as part of a new national karst map.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Preliminary report on geophysical data in Yavapai County, Arizona

Recently acquired geophysical data provide information on the geologic framework and its effect of groundwater flow and on stream/aquifer interaction in Yavapai County, Arizona. High-resolution aeromagnetic data reflect diverse rock types at and below the topographic surface and have permitted a preliminary interpretation of faults and underlying rock types (in particular, volcanic) that will provide new insights on the geologic framework, critical input to future hydrologic investigations. Aeromagnetic data map the western end of the Bear Wallow Canyon fault into the sedimentary fill of Verde Valley. Regional gravity data indicate potentially significant accumulations of low-density basin fill in Big Chino, Verde, and Williamson Valleys. Electrical and seismic data were also collected and help evaluate the approximate depth and extent of recent alluvium overlying Tertiary and Paleozoic sediments. These data will be used to ascertain the potential contribution of shallow ground-water subflow that cannot be measured by gages or flow meters and whether stream flow in losing reaches is moving as subflow or is being lost to the subsurface. The geophysical data will help produce a more robust groundwater flow model of the region.

Arizona↗
USGS2007

Geophysical Characterization of Pre-Cenozoic Basement for Hydrocarbon Assessment, Yukon Flats, Alaska

The Cenozoic basins of interior Alaska are poorly understood, but may host undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in sufficient quantities to serve remote villages and for possible export. Purported oil seeps and the regional occurrence of potential hydrocarbon source and reservoir rocks fuel an exploration interest in the 46,000 km2 Yukon Flats basin. Whether hydrocarbon source rocks are present in the pre-Cenozoic basement beneath Yukon Flats is difficult to determine because vegetation and surficial deposits obscure the bedrock geology, only limited seismic data are available, and no deep boreholes have been drilled. Analysis of regional potential field data (aeromagnetics and gravity) is valuable, therefore, for preliminary characterization of basement lithology and structure. We present our analysis as a red-green-blue composite spectral map consisting of: (1) reduced-to-the-pole magnetics (red), (2) magnetic potential (green), and (3) basement gravity (blue). The color and texture patterns on this composite map highlight domains with common geophysical characteristics and, by inference, lithology. The observed patterns yield the primary conclusion that much of the basin is underlain by Devonian to Jurassic oceanic rocks related to the Angayucham and Tozitna terranes (JDat). These rocks are part of a lithologically diverse assemblage of brittlely deformed, generally low-grade metamorphic rocks of oceanic affinity; such rocks probably have little or no potential for hydrocarbon generation. The JDat geophysical signature extends from the Tintina fault system northward to the Brooks Range. Along the eastern edge of the basin, JDat appears to overlie moderately dense and non-magnetic Proterozoic(?) and Paleozoic continental margin rocks. The western edge of the JDat in subsurface is difficult to distinguish due to the presence of magnetic granites similar to those exposed in the Ruby geanticline. In the southern portion of the basin, geophysical patterns indicate the possibility of overthrusting of Cenozoic sediments and underlying JDat by Paleozoic and Proterozoic rocks of the Schwatka sequence. These structural hypotheses provide the basis for an overthrust play within the Cenozoic section just south of the basin.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1972

Orbital-science investigation: Part F: regional geology of Hadley Rille

Study of the sinuous Hadley Rille (fig. 25-45) was a primary goal of the Apollo 15 mission. Local geology of the rille near the landing site is described in section 5 of this report. Preliminary study of orbital photography from Hasselblad, metric, and panoramic cameras makes possible a description of some regional relationships of the rille. Considerable use is also made of a preliminary topographic map (10-m contour interval) of part of the rille (part C of this section). Contours in the mare area generalized from the map (fig. 25-35(a)) are shown in figure 25-46.

Book chapter↗
USGS2023

Preliminary geologic map of the Southern Santa Rosa Mountains and Borrego Badlands, San Diego County, Southern California

This investigation delineates the geologic framework of an area of 75 square kilometers (km 2 ) located west of the Salton Sea in southern California (fig. 1, on sheet 1). The study area encompasses the south flank of the Santa Rosa Mountains and the eastern part of the Borrego Badlands (sheet 1). In this study area, regionally important stratigraphic and structural elements collectively inform the late Cenozoic geologic evolution of the Anza-Borrego sector of the Salton Trough province. Critical stratigraphic and structural elements in the map area include the following: The well exposed sequence of late Cenozoic, nonmarine sedimentary rocks that filled the Anza-Borrego subbasin (fig. 1) of the Salton Trough; A tectonic boundary that—in the southern Santa Rosa Mountains—separates the sedimentary strata from underlying crystalline rocks of Peninsular Ranges type. This tectonic boundary, named the West Salton Detachment Fault System by Axen and Fletcher (1998), is projected to underlie all late Cenozoic sedimentary strata in the Anza-Borrego subbasin of the Salton Trough; A variety of transpressional, transtensional, and strike-slip structures that have deformed the late Cenozoic sedimentary strata and collectively guided syntectonic and posttectonic depositional events within the Anza-Borrego subbasin of the Salton Trough; and The southeasternmost surface expression of the Clark Fault, a major strand of the dextral San Jacinto Fault Zone. Geologic mapping and analysis for this investigation focused on clarifying geologic relations among these four stratigraphic and structural aspects in the map area.

California↗
USGS2021

Fundamental framework geology in the southern Appalachian crystalline core: The U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (FEDMAP Component) Piedmont-Blue Ridge pPoject

The USGS NCGMP Piedmont-Blue Ridge (PBR) Project aims to develop 4D geologic framework models across the southern Appalachian orogen. The primary objective of the Project is to construct geologic maps and accompanying GeMS geodatabases at scales of 1:24K and 1:100K across the VA-NC-TN state lines where existing geologic map coverage is not adequate (>1:250K) to solve societal and scientific challenges. Two tasks and regional field areas comprise the PBR Project: (1) Piedmont Geology Along the Southeastern Fall Zone, Virginia and North Carolina focuses on eastern Piedmont geology from Richmond, Virginia to Rocky Mount, North Carolina; and (2) Blue Ridge-Inner Piedmont geology covers from the junction of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee eastward into the Piedmont. Both areas host potential critical mineral deposits, including rare earth elements (REE), lithium, tin, and others (e.g., Ti, U, Ta, Nb, Be, Mn, Ba, Zr). Radon in groundwater is a concern in northwestern North Carolina and southwestern Virginia where preliminary investigation suggests a correlation between REE concentration and radon/uranium in certain rock units and major shear zones. The Fall Zone in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina is the recharge area for the largest aquifer (Cretaceous Potomac Group) on the southeastern seaboard; this region also hosts marketable deposits of REE-bearing heavy minerals. Slope-stability and earthquake hazards are issues in both areas. Developing the 4-D geologic framework of these relatively unexplored regions and producing seamless geologic maps and geodatabases is necessary to address societal needs and resolve “state-line border faults”. Both Tasks work closely with USGS NCGMP STATEMAP and EDMAP components to further the overall goals of the Program.

North Carolina, Virginia↗
USGS2011

History of plains resurfacing in the Scandia region of Mars

We present a preliminary photogeologic map of the Scandia region of Mars with the objective of reconstructing its resurfacing history. The Scandia region includes the lower section of the regional lowland slope of Vastitas Borealis extending about 500–1800 km away from Alba Mons into the Scandia sub-basin below −4800 m elevation. Twenty mapped geologic units express the diverse stratigraphy of the region. We particularly focus on the materials making up the Vastitas Borealis plains and its Scandia sub-region, where erosional processes have obscured stratigraphic relations and made the reconstruction of the resurfacing history particularly challenging. Geologic mapping implicates the deposition, erosion, and deformation/degradation of geologic units predominantly during Late Hesperian and Early Amazonian time (~3.6–3.3 Ga). During this time, Alba Mons was active, outflow channels were debouching sediments into the northern plains, and basal ice layers of the north polar plateau were accumulating. We identify zones of regional tectonic contraction and extension as well as gradation and mantling. Depressions and scarps within these zones indicate collapse and gradation of Scandia outcrops and surfaces at scales of meters to hundreds of meters. We find that Scandia Tholi display concentric ridges, rugged peaks, irregular depressions, and moats that suggest uplift and tilting of layered plains material by diapirs and extrusion, erosion, and deflation of viscous, sedimentary slurries as previously suggested. These appear to be long-lived features that both pre-date and post-date impact craters. Mesa-forming features may have similar origins and occur along the southern margin of the Scandia region, including near the Phoenix Mars Lander site. Distinctive lobate materials associated with local impact craters suggest impact-induced mobilization of surface materials. We suggest that the formation of the Scandia region features potentially resulted from crustal heating related to Alba Mons volcanism, which acted upon a sequence of lavas, outflow channel sediments, and polar ice deposits centered within the Scandia region. These volatile-enriched sediments may have been in a state of partial volatile melt, resulting in the mobilization of deeply buried ancient materials and their ascent and emergence as sediment and mud breccia diapirs to form tholi features. Similar subsurface instabilities proximal to Alba Mons may have led to surface disruption, as suggested by local and regional scarps, mesas, moats, and knob fields.

Planetary and Space Science↗