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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 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
USGS2011

Revisiting the Earth's sea-level and energy budgets from 1961 to 2008

We review the sea-level and energy budgets together from 1961, using recent and updated estimates of all terms. From 1972 to 2008, the observed sea-level rise (1.8 0.2 mm yr-1 from tide gauges alone and 2.1 0.2 mm yr -1 from a combination of tide gauges and altimeter observations) agrees well with the sum of contributions (1.8 0.4 mm yr-1) in magnitude and with both having similar increases in the rate of rise during the period. The largest contributions come from ocean thermal expansion (0.8 mm yr-1) and the melting of glaciers and ice caps (0.7 mm yr -1), with Greenland and Antarctica contributing about 0.4 mm yr -1. The cryospheric contributions increase through the period (particularly in the 1990s) but the thermosteric contribution increases less rapidly. We include an improved estimate of aquifer depletion (0.3 mm yr -1), partially offsetting the retention of water in dams and giving a total terrestrial storage contribution of-0.1 mm yr-1. Ocean warming (90% of the total of the Earth's energy increase) continues through to the end of the record, in agreement with continued greenhouse gas forcing. The aerosol forcing, inferred as a residual in the atmospheric energy balance, is estimated as-0.8 0.4 W m-2 for the 1980s and early 1990s. It increases in the late 1990s, as is required for consistency with little surface warming over the last decade. This increase is likely at least partially related to substantial increases in aerosol emissions from developing nations and moderate volcanic activity. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Geophysical Research Letters↗
USGS2009

Coral proxy record of decadal-scale reduction in base flow from Moloka'i, Hawaii

Groundwater is a major resource in Hawaii and is the principal source of water for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use. With a growing population, a long-term downward trend in rainfall, and the need for proper groundwater management, a better understanding of the hydroclimatological system is essential. Proxy records from corals can supplement long-term observational networks, offering an accessible source of hydrologic and climate information. To develop a qualitative proxy for historic groundwater discharge to coastal waters, a suite of rare earth elements and yttrium (REYs) were analyzed from coral cores collected along the south shore of Moloka'i, Hawaii. The coral REY to calcium (Ca) ratios were evaluated against hydrological parameters, yielding the strongest relationship to base flow. Dissolution of REYs from labradorite and olivine in the basaltic rock aquifers is likely the primary source of coastal ocean REYs. There was a statistically significant downward trend (−40%) in subannually resolved REY/Ca ratios over the last century. This is consistent with long-term records of stream discharge from Moloka'i, which imply a downward trend in base flow since 1913. A decrease in base flow is observed statewide, consistent with the long-term downward trend in annual rainfall over much of the state. With greater demands on freshwater resources, it is appropriate for withdrawal scenarios to consider long-term trends and short-term climate variability. It is possible that coral paleohydrological records can be used to conduct model-data comparisons in groundwater flow models used to simulate changes in groundwater level and coastal discharge.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2004

Stress-induced, time-dependent fracture closure at hydrothermal conditions

Time-dependent closure of fractures in quartz was measured in situ at 22–530°C temperature and 0.1-150 MPa water pressure. Unlike previous crack healing and rock permeability studies, in this study, fracture aperture is monitored directly and continuously using a windowed pressure vessel, a long-working-distance microscope, and reflected-light interferometry. Thus the fracture volume and geometry can be measured as a function of time, temperature, and water pressure. Relatively uniform closure occurs rapidly at temperatures and pressures where quartz becomes significantly soluble in water. During closure the aperture is reduced by as much as 80% in a few hours. We infer that this closure results from the dissolution of small particles or asperities that prop the fracture open. The driving force for closure via dissolution of the prop is the sum of three chemical potential terms: (1) the dissolution potential, proportional to the logarithm of the degree of undersaturation of the solution; (2) the coarsening potential, proportional to the radius of curvature of the prop; and (3) the pressure solution potential, proportional to the effective normal stress at the contact between propping particles and the fracture wall. Our observations suggest that closure is controlled by a pressure solution-like process. The aperture of dilatant fractures and microcracks in the Earth that are similar to those in our experiments, such as ones generated from thermal stressing or brittle failure during earthquake rupture and slip, will decrease rapidly with time, especially if the macroscopic stress is nonhydrostatic.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2022

Analysis of surface water trends for the conterminous United States using MODIS satellite data, 2003–2019

Satellite imagery is commonly used to map surface water extents over time, but many approaches yield discontinuous records resulting from cloud obstruction or image archive gaps. We applied the Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE) model to downscaled (250-m) daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data in Google Earth Engine to generate monthly surface water maps for the conterminous United States (US) from 2003 through 2019. The aggregation of daily observations to monthly maps of maximum water extent produced records with diminished cloud and cloud shadow effects across most of the country. We used the continuous monthly record to analyze spatiotemporal surface water trends stratified within Environmental Protection Agency Ecoregions. Although not all ecoregion trends were significant ( p < 0.05), results indicate that much of the western and eastern US underwent a decline in surface water over the 17-year period, while many ecoregions in the Great Plains had positive trends. Trends were also generated from monthly streamgage discharge records and compared to surface water trends from the same ecoregion. These approaches agreed on the directionality of trend detected for 54 of 85 ecoregions, particularly across the Great Plains and portions of the western US, whereas trends were not congruent in select western deserts, the Great Lakes region, and the southeastern US. By describing the geographic distribution of surface water over time and comparing these records to instrumented discharge data across the conterminous US, our findings demonstrate the efficacy of using satellite imagery to monitor surface water dynamics and supplement traditional instrumented monitoring.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2018

Inversion of data from electrical resistivity imaging surveys in water-covered areas

Electrical resistivity imaging surveys widely used in many environmental and engineering studies have also been conducted in water-covered areas. Surveys in water-covered areas include conventional surveys using multi-electrode resistivity systems where part of the survey line crosses a river or stream, and surveys conducted entirely within a water-covered environment. Surveys that are located entirely within a water-covered environment utilise electrodes mounted on a streamer, towed behind a boat. The streamer can be dragged along the water bottom, or float on the water surface. In this paper, the smoothness-constrained least-squares inversion method commonly used to interpret electrical resistivity imaging data from land surveys is adapted for underwater surveys. To accommodate the water bottom topography, a distorted finite-element grid is used to calculate the apparent resistivity values for the inversion model. The first few rows of elements are used to model the water layer, while the lower part of the grid is used for the sub-bottom resistivity distribution. For robust inversion, the water column resistivity and geometry must be known accurately as a large proportion of the current flows through the water layer. The section of the Earth below the bottom surface is subdivided into a large number of rectangular cells. The water column resistivity and geometry in the earth model is fixed, and the inversion program attempts to determine the resistivity of the cells that would most accurately reproduce the observed resistivity measurements. Implementation of water column resistivity and geometric constraints is demonstrated using numerical simulations and field data. Examples of electrical resistivity imaging surveys conducted on and across water bodies including rivers and near-shore marine environments are shown.

Exploration Geophysics↗
USGS2013

Uranium redox transition pathways in acetate-amended sediments

Redox transitions of uranium [from U(VI) to U(IV)] in low-temperature sediments govern the mobility of uranium in the environment and the accumulation of uranium in ore bodies, and inform our understanding of Earth’s geochemical history. The molecular-scale mechanistic pathways of these transitions determine the U(IV) products formed, thus influencing uranium isotope fractionation, reoxidation, and transport in sediments. Studies that improve our understanding of these pathways have the potential to substantially advance process understanding across a number of earth sciences disciplines. Detailed mechanistic information regarding uranium redox transitions in field sediments is largely nonexistent, owing to the difficulty of directly observing molecular-scale processes in the subsurface and the compositional/physical complexity of subsurface systems. Here, we present results from an in situ study of uranium redox transitions occurring in aquifer sediments under sulfate-reducing conditions. Based on molecular-scale spectroscopic, pore-scale geochemical, and macroscale aqueous evidence, we propose a biotic–abiotic transition pathway in which biomass-hosted mackinawite (FeS) is an electron source to reduce U(VI) to U(IV), which subsequently reacts with biomass to produce monomeric U(IV) species. A species resembling nanoscale uraninite is also present, implying the operation of at least two redox transition pathways. The presence of multiple pathways in low-temperature sediments unifies apparently contrasting prior observations and helps to explain sustained uranium reduction under disparate biogeochemical conditions. These findings have direct implications for our understanding of uranium bioremediation, ore formation, and global geochemical processes.

PNAS↗
USGS2022

North Carolina and Landsat

North Carolina’s rich history and importance in the colonial days played a critical role in the Nation’s economic development. It was also the setting for events like the Wright Brothers’ famous first flight of a powered aircraft, called “Wright Flyer,” which took place in Kitty Hawk in 1903. Today, North Carolina license plates proudly proclaim the State as “First in Flight.” The aerospace and defense sectors remain large players in the State’s economy to this day. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Electric Aviation, and others maintain a presence in the Tar Heel State, and military installations dot the landscape. It is fitting, then, that North Carolinians rely upon a satellite system to monitor and study the health of their State’s vast and varied terrain: its coastal plain, the sweeping valleys and peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the fertile rolling plateau of the Piedmont ecoregion that separates the two. The U.S. Geological Survey Landsat satellite program’s unparalleled 54-plus-year record of Earth surface change offers scientists, watershed and land managers, urban planners, and others insight into landscape change, both drastic and mild. Landsat observations document everything from posthurricane floods that push inland to subtle shifts in forest composition and coastal encroachment on urban and military infrastructure.

North Carolina↗
USGS1980

Iowa observation well network; past, present, and future

Water-level measurements in wells were started by the USGS in Iowa in 1935. Since then a total of about 450 different wells have been measured. The present network consists of about 70 wells. The measurement of these water levels aids in evaluating the present and future water resources of the State. Many factors influence water-level fluctuations. These factors include atmospheric pressure, withdrawals by pumping, earthquakes, earth tides, change in surface loading, discharge to streams, evapotranspiration, and precipitation. Fluctuations produced by artificial discharge through pumping is a common phenomena but unlike the other factors can be regulated and controlled. All present and past USGS observation wells for the State of Iowa since 1935 are listed and located on maps. It is recommended that improvement of the observation-well network by the addition of wells in specific areas should be undertaken as soon as possible.

Iowa↗
USGS2021

Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system

The geological record shows that abrupt changes in the Earth system can occur on timescales short enough to challenge the capacity of human societies to adapt to environmental pressures. In many cases, abrupt changes arise from slow changes in one component of the Earth system that eventually pass a critical threshold, or tipping point, after which impacts cascade through coupled climate–ecological–social systems. The chance of detecting abrupt changes and tipping points increases with the length of observations. The geological record provides the only long-term information we have on the conditions and processes that can drive physical, ecological and social systems into new states or organizational structures that may be irreversible within human time frames. Here, we use well-documented abrupt changes of the past 30 kyr to illustrate how their impacts cascade through the Earth system. We review useful indicators of upcoming abrupt changes, or early warning signals, and provide a perspective on the contributions of palaeoclimate science to the understanding of abrupt changes in the Earth system.

Nature Geoscience↗
USGS2011

Channel morphometry, sediment transport, and implications for tectonic activity and surficial ages of Titan basins

Fluvial features on Titan and drainage basins on Earth are remarkably similar despite differences in gravity and surface composition. We determined network bifurcation ( R b ) ratios for five Titan and three terrestrial analog basins. Tectonically-modified Earth basins have R b values greater than the expected range (3.0–5.0) for dendritic networks; comparisons with R b values determined for Titan basins, in conjunction with similarities in network patterns, suggest that portions of Titan’s north polar region are modified by tectonic forces. Sufficient elevation data existed to calculate bed slope and potential fluvial sediment transport rates in at least one Titan basin, indicating that 75 mm water ice grains (observed at the Huygens landing site) should be readily entrained given sufficient flow depths of liquid hydrocarbons. Volumetric sediment transport estimates suggest that ∼6700–10,000 Titan years (∼2.0–3.0 × 10 5 Earth years) are required to erode this basin to its minimum relief (assuming constant 1 m and 1.5 m flows); these lowering rates increase to ∼27,000–41,000 Titan years (∼8.0–12.0 × 10 5 Earth years) when flows in the north polar region are restricted to summer months.

Icarus↗
USGS2008

Temporal evolution of continental lithospheric strength in actively deforming regions

It has been agreed for nearly a century that a strong, load-bearing outer layer of earth is required to support mountain ranges, transmit stresses to deform active regions and store elastic strain to generate earthquakes. However the dept and extent of this strong layer remain controversial. Here we use a variety of observations to infer the distribution of lithospheric strength in the active western United States from seismic to steady-state time scales. We use evidence from post-seismic transient and earthquake cycle deformation reservoir loading glacio-isostatic adjustment, and lithosphere isostatic adjustment to large surface and subsurface loads. The nearly perfectly elastic behavior of Earth's crust and mantle at the time scale of seismic wave propagation evolves to that of a strong, elastic crust and weak, ductile upper mantle lithosphere at both earthquake cycle (EC, ???10?? to 103 yr) and glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA, ???103 to 104 yr) time scales. Topography and gravity field correlations indicate that lithosphere isostatic adjustment (LIA) on ???106-107 yr time scales occurs with most lithospheric stress supported by an upper crust overlying a much weaker ductile subtrate. These comparisons suggest that the upper mantle lithosphere is weaker than the crust at all time scales longer than seismic. In contrast, the lower crust has a chameleon-like behavior, strong at EC and GIA time scales and weak for LIA and steady-state deformation processes. The lower crust might even take on a third identity in regions of rapid crustal extension or continental collision, where anomalously high temperatures may lead to large-scale ductile flow in a lower crustal layer that is locally weaker than the upper mantle. Modeling of lithospheric processes in active regions thus cannot use a one-size-fits-all prescription of rheological layering (relation between applied stress and deformation as a function of depth) but must be tailored to the time scale and tectonic setting of the process being investigated.

GSA Today↗
USGS2017

Evidence for strong lateral seismic velocity variation in the lower crust and upper mantle beneath the California margin

Regional seismograms from earthquakes in Northern California show a systematic difference in arrival times across Southern California where long period (30–50 seconds) SH waves arrive up to 15 seconds earlier at stations near the coast compared with sites towards the east at similar epicentral distances. We attribute this time difference to heterogeneity of the velocity structure at the crust-mantle interface beneath the California margin. To model these observations, we propose a fast seismic layer, with thickness growing westward from the San Andreas along with a thicker and slower continental crust to the east. Synthetics generated from such a model are able to match the observed timing of SH waveforms better than existing 3D models. The presence of a strong upper mantle buttressed against a weaker crust has a major influence in how the boundary between the Pacific plate and North American plate deforms and may explain the observed asymmetric strain rate across the boundary.

California↗
USGS2022

Brittle faulting at elevated temperature and vanishing effective stress

If brittle fault strength depends only on friction, slip instability is discouraged at low effective normal stress, σ . Stress drop and the critical stiffness necessary for unstable sliding both vanish with σ ; small earthquakes cannot occur. Very low σ is inferred in the source region of low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) on the San Andreas fault (SAF). Moreover, if pore pressure, p , is undrained at low σ , then instabilities are prevented at all scales. This is due to dilatant strengthening which arises due to a dependence of porosity on strain rate. Dilatant strengthening is σ -independent and dominates at low σ . Undrained p is inferred over time scales of less than a few days for the SAF LFEs. Based on experiments that measure rapid contact overgrowth between 350 and 530°C at very low σ , fault failure controlled by time-dependent cementation is invoked as an explanation for the SAF LFEs. Because this “cohesion” is σ -independent, stress drops can occur at σ = 0. If in addition cohesion exceeds any dilatant strengthening during slip, cohesion dominates strength at low σ . Dilatancy measured in prior faulting and shear experiments indicate that at all stress levels steady-state porosity depends on σ in addition to strain rate. Moreover, porosity at low σ depends elastically on the confining and differential stresses. A model with these additional pore pressure effects, friction, and time-dependent cohesion, applied to the SAF LFEs produces stress drops, slip speeds, and durations that are consistent with the observations, when the shear-induced dilatancy is not extreme.

JGR Solid Earth↗
USGS1996

Frictional behavior of large displacement experimental faults

The coefficient of friction and velocity dependence of friction of initially bare surfaces and 1-mm-thick simulated fault gouges (<90 μm) of Westerly granite were determined as a function of displacement to >400 mm at 25°C and 25 MPa normal stress. Steady state negative friction velocity dependence and a steady state fault zone microstructure are achieved after ∼18 mm displacement, and an approximately constant strength is reached after a few tens of millimeters of sliding on initially bare surfaces. Simulated fault gouges show a large but systematic variation of friction, velocity dependence of friction, dilatancy, and degree of localization with displacement. At short displacement (<10 mm), simulated gouge is strong, velocity strengthening and changes in sliding velocity are accompanied by relatively large changes in dilatancy rate. With continued displacement, simulated gouges become progressively weaker and less velocity strengthening, the velocity dependence of dilatancy rate decreases, and deformation becomes localized into a narrow basal shear which at its most localized is observed to be velocity weakening. With subsequent displacement, the fault restrengthens, returns to velocity strengthening, or to velocity neutral, the velocity dependence of dilatancy rate becomes larger, and deformation becomes distributed. Correlation of friction, velocity dependence of friction and of dilatancy rate, and degree of localization at all displacements in simulated gouge suggest that all quantities are interrelated. The observations do not distinguish the independent variables but suggest that the degree of localization is controlled by the fault strength, not by the friction velocity dependence. The friction velocity dependence and velocity dependence of dilatancy rate can be used as qualitative measures of the degree of localization in simulated gouge, in agreement with previous studies. Theory equating the friction velocity dependence of simulated gouge to the sum of the friction velocity dependence of bare surfaces and the velocity dependence of dilatancy rate of simulated gouge fails to quantitatively account for the experimental observations.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2012

In situ studies of velocity in fractured crystalline rocks

A study of the effects of macroscopic fractures on P and S wave velocities has been conducted in four wells drilled in granitic rock to depths between 0.6 and 1.2 km. The effect of macroscopic fractures is to decrease both V p and V s and increase V p / V s . In wells with a relatively low density of macroscopic fractures, the in situ velocity is similar to that of saturated core samples under confining pressure in the laboratory, and there is a clear correlation between zones with macroscopic fractures and anomalously low velocities. In wells with numerous macroscopic fractures, the in situ velocity is lower than that of intact samples under pressure, and there is a correlation between the rate at which in situ velocity increases with depth and the rate at which the velocity of laboratory samples increases with pressure. Differences in in situ P wave velocity between wells cannot be explained solely by differences in the degree of macroscopic fracturing, thus emphasizing the importance of composition and microcracks on velocity. In one highly fractured well the in situ P wave velocity is essentially the same for frequencies ranging from 10 Hz to 20 kHz; this suggests that the macrofractures affect velocity similarly over a broad frequency range. Chemical alteration of rock adjacent to macroscopic fractures appears to play an important role in reducing in situ velocities. Synthetic reflection seismograms generated from the velocity logs suggest that fracture zones are one possible source of deep-crustal reflectors observed on seismic reflection profiles.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗
USGS2012

Earthquake swarm in Long Valley caldera, California, January 1983: Evidence for dike inflation

The 1982–1983 deformation observed by trilateration and leveling surveys across the Long Valley caldera is apparently related to the 8.5‐km‐long by 8‐km‐deep vertical rupture surface defined by the January 1983 earthquake swarm that occurred in the south moat of the caldera. The observed deformation can be explained as follows. In late 1982, 0.03 km 3 of magma was injected into a dike that dips 30° northward from the bottom of the rupture surface. The downdip dimension of this dike is 8 km. The dike inflation accounts for the uplift observed across the caldera as well as some of the horizontal deformation. Inflation of the dike generated a tension of about 3 bars across the vertical plane that was to become the rupture surface of the January swarm. This reduced the frictional stress on the rupture plane and perhaps triggered the slip that caused the January swarm. Right‐lateral slip (0.22 m) on the uppermost 2 km of the rupture plane during and after the January swarm accounts for the additional horizontal deformation observed. The model can be improved marginally if strike slip is admitted over the entire rupture surface and 0.006 km 3 of magma is injected along that surface in the depth interval 3–8 km. The improvement in the model fit, however, is not sufficient to require shallow injection of magma. Thus we conclude that inflation of a dike at depth (8–12 km) dipping northward beneath the resurgent dome plus shallow right‐lateral slip on the rupture surface is a simple, but not unique, explanation of the observed deformation and seismicity.

California↗
USGS2003

Lithospheric roots beneath western Laurentia: The geochemical signal in mantle garnets

This study presents major and trace element data for 243 mantle garnet xenocrysts from six kimberlites in parts of western North America. The geochemical data for the garnet xenocrysts are used to infer the composition, thickness, and tectonothermal affinity of the mantle lithosphere beneath western Laurentia at the time of kimberlite eruption. The garnets record temperatures between 800 and 1450??C using Ni-in-garnet thermometry and represent mainly lherzolitic mantle lithosphere sampled over an interval from about 110-260 km depth. Garnets with sinuous rare-earth element patterns, high Sr, and high Sc/V occur mainly at shallow depths and occur almost exclusively in kimberlites interpreted to have sampled Archean mantle lithosphere beneath the Wyoming Province in Laurentia, and are notably absent in garnets from kimberlites erupting through the Proterozoic Yavapai Mazatzal and Trans-Hudson provinces. The similarities in depths of equilibration, but differing geochemical patterns in garnets from the Cross kimberlite (southeastern British Columbia) compared to kimberlites in the Wyoming Province argue for post-Archean replacement and (or) modification of mantle beneath the Archean Hearne Province. Convective removal of mantle lithosphere beneath the Archean Hearne Province in a "tEctonic vise" during the Proterozoic terminal collisions that formed Laurentia either did not occur, or was followed by replacement of thick mantle lithosphere that was sampled by kimberlite in the Triassic, and is still observed there seismically today.

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences↗
USGS2016

Rotational seismology

Rotational seismology is an emerging study of all aspects of rotational motions induced by earthquakes, explosions, and ambient vibrations. It is of interest to several disciplines, including seismology, earthquake engineering, geodesy, and earth-based detection of Einstein’s gravitation waves. Rotational effects of seismic waves, together with rotations caused by soil–structure interaction, have been observed for centuries (e.g., rotated chimneys, monuments, and tombstones). Figure 1a shows the rotated monument to George Inglis observed after the 1897 Great Shillong earthquake. This monument had the form of an obelisk rising over 19 metres high from a 4 metre base. During the earthquake, the top part broke off and the remnant of some 6 metres rotated about 15° relative to the base. The study of rotational seismology began only recently when sensitive rotational sensors became available due to advances in aeronautical and astronomical instrumentations.

Book chapter↗