Search USGSSearch

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “State of the Survey”

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

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1979

This circular describes the 1980 programs of the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska. A brief description of the Alaskan operations of each major division of the Survey is followed by project descriptions arranged by geographic regions in which the work takes place. The mission of the Geological Survey is to identify the Nation 's land, water, energy, and mineral resources; to classify federally-owned mineral lands and waterpower sites; to resolve the exploration and development of energy and natural resources on Federal and Indian lands; and to explore and appraise the petroleum potential of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Alaska is at once the largest, the least populated, the least explored, and the least developed State in the Nation. More than half of the Nation 's 600 million acres of Outer Continental Shelf lies off Alaska 's coast. The land area of Alaska contains 375 million acres, 16 percent of the onshore land of the Nation. Its resources of all kinds present an opportunity to demonstrate how the needs of both conservation and development can be met for the benefit of the American people.

Alaska

The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1978

This circular describes the 1979 programs of the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska. The mission of the Geological Survey is to identify the Nation 's land, water, energy, and mineral resources; to classify federally-owned mineral lands and water-power sites; to resolve the exploration and development of energy and natural resources on Federal and Indian lands; and to explore and appraise the petroleum potential of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Alaska is at once the largest, the least populated, the least explored, and the least developed State in the Nation. More than half of the Nation 's 600 million acres of Outer Continental Shelf lies off Alaska 's coast, and nearly half of the remaining 762 million acres of Federal land are within its borders. Its resources of all kinds present an opportunity to demonstrate how the needs of both conservation and development can be met for the benefit of the American people.

Alaska

Geology and mining industry of the Tintic district, Utah: Section in Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior 1897 - 1898: Part III - Economic Geology

The field work upon which this report is based was begun in July, 1897, and continued without interruption until December of the same year. The area studied is approximately 15 miles square and contains 234 square miles. The topographic maps, which are two in number, were prepared under the direction of Mr. R. U. Goode, Mr. S. S. Gannett doing the triangulation and Messrs. Marshall and Griswold the topography in the fall of 1896 and summer of 1897. The mapping is done on two scales; the larger area, approximately 15 miles square, is mapped on a scale of 1: 62,500. This map is designed to form a part of the Geologic Atlas of the United States. The other map represents the portion of the larger area in which the majority of the mines are located. It is on a scale of 1: 9,600, and covers an area of 12 square miles. The work has been greatly facilitated through the assistance rendered by the mining men of the district, among whom special thanks are due to Messrs. G. H. Robinson, W. J. Craig, W. M. Nesbit, and C. H. Blanchard. The chemical work on the ores and country rocks from the district has been done in the laboratory of the Survey by Messrs. H. N. Stokes and George Steiger, and the determination of the fossils collected is to be credited to Mr. G. H. Girty, also of the Geological Survey. In the field work the authors have cooperated constantly on every phase of the varied problems. The same is true for the office work, except that the stratigraphic and economic problems have been the especial studies of Mr. Tower, while the petrologic and remaining problems have been the special studies of Mr. Smith. In pursuance of this system of work the introduction has been written conjointly, Chapter II of Part I and all of Part II have been written by Mr. Tower, and Chapters I and III to VII of Part I by Mr. Smith.

Utah

Magnetic studies by the Geophysical Section of the United States Geological Survey

Continued progress has been made in magnetic surveys over large sectional areas by G. R. MacCarthy. Beginning in Florida south of the Okeefenokee Swamp, magnetic traverses were measured and continued through the southern part of Georgia. The most northerly traverses crossed regions where they contacted the crystallines near the surface of the ground. All traverses were run in an east‐west direction. It is planned to continue the magnetic relief‐map described in the Transactions of 1939 of the American Geophysical Union by adding to it this portion of the State of Georgia.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

National coal resource investigations of the United States Geological Survey

The objective of this report is to provide a record of some of the goals and accomplishments of the coal resource investigations of the U. S. Geological Survey for 1977. Successful completion of these goals will aid the Nation in the years ahead because proper usage of coal resource data may lessen economic displacements resulting from the energy shortage. This report is concerned only with one mineral fuel -- coal -- and only with coal resource investigations in the Geologic Division of the U. S. Geological Survey. Other divisions involved with coal or coal-related work are the Conservation, Water Resources, and Topographic Divisions. It is one of a series of reports on the energy resource studies conducted by the Geological Survey that provide a public record of the objectives, activities, and accomplishments of these programs. Similar reports have been prepared on oil and gas, oil shale, uranium, thorium, and energy-related industrial minerals. This report includes descriptions of the program, each sub-element of the program, individual projects, and a selected list of program publications from 1970-76. It also describes how the program is responsive to Presidential pronouncements and Congressional mandates. The program is cooperative with several Federal bureaus, many state agencies, universities, and industry. This coordination assures that the program supplements the work of these interested groups and is not duplicative. A scientific program such as the coal resource investigations is difficult for the non-involved person to understand solely from the existing reports on various studies made in the program. This report provides an explanation that the scientist, decision maker, personnel of other government agencies, and the layman can use to relate various activities and to gain a better understanding of the relation of coal to the Nation's requirements for energy and of the importance of a carefully planned program on this energy resource.

Open-File Report

Part I—History and activities of the section of geophysics of the United States Geological Survey

From the beginning of time, all ingenuity of mankind has been concentrated upon the methods of finding gold and unusual deposits in the earth. An illustration (Fig. 1) from the old treatise by Agricola, “De Re Metallica,” published in 1580, will serve to show the implicit faith of that generation in divining methods. However, it was not until 1920 that real progress was made in prospecting by using the latest advances of the physical sciences. The public interest was stimulated by the successes of these methods on the part of commercial operators, and governmental agencies received many requests for information concerning their reliability. There were also, in the late 1920's, high‐pressure mine‐promotion schemes which used geophysical methods in a very questionable manner, symbolized in Figure 2 as of 1928 by an electrified forked stick. Authoritative information concerning such practices for public protection was needed to curb such notorious undertakings. Dr. Scott Turner, then Director of the United States Bureau of Mines, thoroughly understood the situation and was first in the governmental departments to recognize the possible value of a study of modern prospecting methods. The Bureau of Mines began this investigation by employing Drs. A. S. Eve and D. A. Keys of McGill University for short periods in the summer in 1927. Their first publication [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] served to illustrate the fundamental scientific principles which underlie geophysical prospecting. This was followed by a second publication [2] giving the results of field‐tests. In the light of the rapid improvements during the intervening ten years, these two papers take a historical position.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Using United States Geological Survey stream gages to predict flow and temperature conditions to maintain freshwater mussel habitat

Habitat conditions necessary to support freshwater mussels can be difficult to characterize and predict, particularly for rare or endangered species such as the federally endangered dwarf wedgemussel, Alasmidonta heterodon . In this study, we evaluate flow and temperature conditions in three areas of the mainstem Delaware River known to consistently support A . heterodon , and we develop predictive models using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gages and thermal stations in order to identify conditions under which habitat alteration could threaten the species. Flow and temperature prediction models based on nearby existing USGS gage and thermal stations were predictive for all three sites. Both discharge prediction and water depth profile models indicate one location (Site 3) was the most vulnerable to low‐flow conditions as it requires the highest discharge rate (26.3 cms) at the USGS Callicoon gage to maintain both the full wetted perimeter (P full ) and minimal wetted perimeter (P min ) and prevent occlusion of areas that contain A . heterodon . Flow management targets aimed at protecting Site 3 should also protect Sites 1 and 2. Although analyses indicated significant benthic habitat available in all three sites even under low discharge rates, specific mussel locations could be vulnerable to dewatering and thermal stress if only P min values were maintained. Results indicate the magnitude of site temperature deviations from thermal stations varied by site and river temperature. In general, our results suggest that existing temperature and stream gage infrastructure may be used predictively to evaluate the effects of different flow targets on mainstem Delaware River A . heterodon habitat.

Delaware River

Status of study of the frequency and magnitude of floods by the Mississippi Valley Committee of the Public Works Administration in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey

Active work under the recently authorized project relating to floods and their frequencies began in March, and such progress as may be reported at this time is largely that of organization and preliminary planning. One of the outstanding and impressive features of the organization is the provision for cooperative effort, whereby the mature judgment and possibly diverse viewpoints of various committees and consultants may be utilized to the fullest advantage. This arrangement should provide the necessary safeguard against adoption of immature individual views or favorite methods of analysis, to the exclusion of others of equal or greater merit. On the other hand, it is conceivable that too much of the limited time might be consumed in preliminary discussions of basic principles, methods of analysis, and formulas dealing with either magnitude or frequency of floods, if unanimity of opinion among several professional groups must precede the main work under the project authorized. In effect, such a procedure would require a practical and workable solution before the basic data had become available. To avoid such delays, a definite line of procedure has beer, proposed for consideration.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Geographic analysis and monitoring at the United States Geological Survey

The Geographic Analysis and Monitoring (GAM) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey assesses the Nation's land surface at a variety of spatial and temporal scales to understand the rates, causes, and consequences of natural and human-induced processes and their interactions that affect the landscape over time. The program plays an important role in developing National Map tools and application. The GAM is a science and synthesis program that not only assesses the rates of changes to the Earth's land surface, but also provides reports on the status and trends of the Nation's land resources on a periodic basis, produces a land-use and land- cover database for the periodically updated map and data set-the Geographic Face of the Nation, and conducts research leading to improved understanding and knowledge about geographic processes. Scientific investigations provide comprehensive information needed to understand the environmental, resource, and economic consequences of landscape change. These analyses responds to the needs of resource managers and offers the American public baseline information to help them understand the dynamic nature of our national landscape and to anticipate the opportunities and consequences of our actions.

Cartography and Geographic Information Science