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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 1,243 records · Page 69Linked to original sources
USGS2025

Pre- and post-eruptive geochemical and isotopic fingerprints of rhyolites parental to volcano-sedimentary lithium brine and clay resources in the western USA & central Andes

Lithium is a high-demand, critical element used not only in lightweight rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, but also in nuclear applications and industries producing ceramics, aluminum, and medical products. It is extracted primarily from pegmatites and volcano-sedimentary brines and clays in arid, closed lacustrine or caldera basins. Lithium brines of the central Andean salars in the AltiplanoPuna Plateau contain around ~70% of the world’s lithium resources. In contrast, Clayton Valley, Nevada is the only current producer of lithium brines in the United States and accounts for ~6% of current global lithium production. Clayton Valley hosts a newly defined Li-clay resource where locally exposed rhyolite tuffs have been proposed as a lithium source. Identifying magma evolution processes and determining the importance of syn- and post-eruptive processes on the source, mobility, and distribution of lithium is an ongoing area of research. These two regions illustrate distinctive magmatic-tectonic regimes for volcano-sedimentary lithium enrichment and therefore represent ideal regions to explore the key geological processes critical to the enrichment of lithium resources.

Clayton Valley, Puna Plateau↗
USGS1992

Quantitative assessment of future development of cooper/silver resources in the Kootenai National Forest, Idaho/Montana: Part I-Estimation of the copper and silver endowments

Faced with an ever-increasing diversity of demand for the use of public lands, managers and planners are turning more often to a multiple-use approach to meet those demands. This approach requires the uses to be mutually compatible and to utilize the more valuable attributes or resource values of the land. Therefore, it is imperative that planners be provided with all available information on attribute and resource values in a timely fashion and in a format that facilitates a comparative evaluation. The Kootenai National Forest administration enlisted the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines to perform a quantitative assessment of future copper/silver production potential within the forest from sediment-hosted copper deposits in the Revett Formation that are similar to those being mined at the Troy Mine near Spar Lake. The U.S. Geological Survey employed a quantitative assessment technique that compared the favorable host terrane in the Kootenai area with worldwide examples of known sediment-hosted copper deposits. The assessment produced probabilistic estimates of the number of undiscovered deposits that may be present in the area and of the copper and silver endowment that might be contained in them. Results of the assessment suggest that the copper/silver deposit potential is highest in the southwestern one-third of the forest. In this area there is an estimated 50 percent probability of at least 50 additional deposits occurring mostly within approximately 260,000 acres where the Revett Formation is thought to be present in the subsurface at depths of less than 1,500 meters. A Monte Carlo type simulation using data on the grade and tonnage characteristics of other known silver-rich, sediment-hosted copper deposits predicts a 50 percent probability that these undiscovered deposits will contain at least 19 million tonnes of copper and 100,000 tonnes of silver. Combined with endowments estimated for identified, but not thoroughly explored deposits, and deposits that might also occur in the remaining area of the forest, the endowment potential increases to 23 million tonnes of copper and 190,000 tonnes of silver. ?? 1992 Oxford University Press.

Nonrenewable Resources↗
USGS1993

Basic concepts in three-part quantitative assessments of undiscovered mineral resources

Since 1975, mineral resource assessments have been made for over 27 areas covering 5??106 km2 at various scales using what is now called the three-part form of quantitative assessment. In these assessments, (1) areas are delineated according to the types of deposits permitted by the geology,(2) the amount of metal and some ore characteristics are estimated using grade and tonnage models, and (3) the number of undiscovered deposits of each type is estimated. Permissive boundaries are drawn for one or more deposit types such that the probability of a deposit lying outside the boundary is negligible, that is, less than 1 in 100,000 to 1,000,000. Grade and tonnage models combined with estimates of the number of deposits are the fundamental means of translating geologists' resource assessments into a language that economists can use. Estimates of the number of deposits explicitly represent the probability (or degree of belief) that some fixed but unknown number of undiscovered deposits exist in the delineated tracts. Estimates are by deposit type and must be consistent with the grade and tonnage model. Other guidelines for these estimates include (1) frequency of deposits from well-explored areas, (2) local deposit extrapolations, (3) counting and assigning probabilities to anomalies and occurrences, (4) process constraints, (5) relative frequencies of related deposit types, and (6) area spatial limits. In most cases, estimates are made subjectively, as they are in meteorology, gambling, and geologic interpretations. In three-part assessments, the estimates are internally consistent because delineated tracts are consistent with descriptive models, grade and tonnage models are consistent with descriptive models, as well as with known deposits in the area, and estimates of number of deposits are consistent with grade and tonnage models. All available information is used in the assessment, and uncertainty is explicitly represented. ?? 1993 Oxford University Press.

Nonrenewable Resources↗
USGS2009

Introduction to special section on impacts of land use change on water resources

Changes in land use have potentially large impacts on water resources, yet quantifying these impacts remains among the more challenging problems in hydrology. Water, food, energy, and climate are linked through complex webs of direct and indirect effects and feedbacks. Land use is undergoing major changes due not only to pressures for more efficient food, feed, and fiber production to support growing populations but also due to policy shifts that are creating markets for biofuel and agricultural carbon sequestration. Hydrologic systems embody flows of water, solutes, sediments, and energy that vary even in the absence of human activity. Understanding land use impacts thus necessitates integrated scientific approaches. Field measurements, remote sensing, and modeling studies are shedding new light on the modes and mechanisms by which land use changes impact water resources. Such studies can help deconflate the interconnected influences of human actions and natural variations on the quantity and quality of soil water, surface water, and groundwater, past, present, and future.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Use of regression‐based models to map sensitivity of aquatic resources to atmospheric deposition in Yosemite National Park, USA

An abundance of exposed bedrock, sparse soil and vegetation, and fast hydrologic flushing rates make aquatic ecosystems in Yosemite National Park susceptible to nutrient enrichment and episodic acidification due to atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S). In this study, multiple linear regression (MLR) models were created to estimate fall‐season nitrate and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) in surface water in Yosemite wilderness. Input data included estimated winter N deposition, fall‐season surface‐water chemistry measurements at 52 sites, and basin characteristics derived from geographic information system layers of topography, geology, and vegetation. The MLR models accounted for 84% and 70% of the variance in surface‐water nitrate and ANC, respectively. Explanatory variables (and the sign of their coefficients) for nitrate included elevation (positive) and the abundance of neoglacial and talus deposits (positive), unvegetated terrain (positive), alluvium (negative), and riparian (negative) areas in the basins. Explanatory variables for ANC included basin area (positive) and the abundance of metamorphic rocks (positive), unvegetated terrain (negative), water (negative), and winter N deposition (negative) in the basins. The MLR equations were applied to 1407 stream reaches delineated in the National Hydrography Data Set for Yosemite, and maps of predicted surface‐water nitrate and ANC concentrations were created. Predicted surface‐water nitrate concentrations were highest in small, high‐elevation cirques, and concentrations declined downstream. Predicted ANC concentrations showed the opposite pattern, except in high‐elevation areas underlain by metamorphic rocks along the Sierran Crest, which had relatively high predicted ANC (>200 μ eq L −1 ). Maps were created to show where basin characteristics predispose aquatic resources to nutrient enrichment and acidification effects from N and S deposition. The maps can be used to help guide development of water‐quality programs designed to monitor and protect natural resources in national parks.

Yosemite Nataional Park↗
USGS2010

Legal mechanisms for protecting riparian resource values

Riparian resources include the borders of rivers, lakes, ponds, and potholes. These border areas are very important for a number of reasons, including stream channel maintenance, flood control, aesthetics, erosion control, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and water quality maintenance. These diverse functions are not well protected by law or policy. We reviewed law and policies regarding endangered species habitat designation, land use planning, grazing management, water allocation, takings, and federal permits and licenses, along with the roles of federal, state, and local governments. We discuss the politics of implementing these policies, focusing on the difficulties in changing entrenched water and land use practices. Our review indicates a lack of direct attention to riparian ecosystem issues in almost all environmental and land use programs at every level of government. Protection of riparian resource values requires a means to integrate existing programs to focus on riparian zones.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Economic basis of resource information systems: The case of streamflow network design

A general method for the economic design of natural resource information systems is presented for a certain class of natural phenomena. The system design is determined by the interaction of the technical input‐output relationship, i.e., the production function, the set of resource constraints, and an economic loss function defined in terms of parameter uncertainty. An application of the proposed method to streamflow network design is presented. Results of this analysis indicate that the method is fairly robust with respect to the assumptions. Observations are made which suggest extensions to flood measurement networks, long‐term precipitation networks, and seismic observation network design.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS1998

Water-resources optimization model for Santa Barbara, California

A simulation-optimization model has been developed for the optimal management of the city of Santa Barbara's water resources during a drought. The model, which links groundwater simulation with linear programming, has a planning horizon of 5 years. The objective is to minimize the cost of water supply subject to: water demand constraints, hydraulic head constraints to control seawater intrusion, and water capacity constraints. The decision variables are montly water deliveries from surface water and groundwater. The state variables are hydraulic heads. The drought of 1947-51 is the city's worst drought on record, and simulated surface-water supplies for this period were used as a basis for testing optimal management of current water resources under drought conditions. The simulation-optimization model was applied using three reservoir operation rules. In addition, the model's sensitivity to demand, carry over [the storage of water in one year for use in the later year(s)], head constraints, and capacity constraints was tested.

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management↗
USGS1999

Diversifying natural resources value measurements: The Trinity River study

An interdisciplinary team set out to establish the economic and social values of the Trinity River in northern California . This information was intended to support the Secretary of the Interior's decision on allocation of Trinity River flows . This team set out to measure the values of Trinity River flows , fishery resources , and rec reation amenities in several different ways . A survey was mailed to users of the Trinity River . This single instrument included economic measures ( willingness - to pay and costs incurred in visiting ) and social - psychological measures ( importance , satisfaction , and water allocation preferences ). A closely related survey measured several of these same values among west coast regional households . The results of these surveys were compiled , and the measured economic and social values were compared . We found that integrating economic and social value information pro vides a greater depth of understanding of the resource's value . In addition , this integration provides a more in - depth understanding through the quantitative and qualitative results that emerge.

Society and Natural Resources↗
USGS2016

Emerging tools for continuous nutrient monitoring networks: Sensors advancing science and water resources protection

Sensors and enabling technologies are becoming increasingly important tools for water quality monitoring and associated water resource management decisions. In particular, nutrient sensors are of interest because of the well-known adverse effects of nutrient enrichment on coastal hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and impacts to human health. Accurate and timely information on nutrient concentrations and loads is integral to strategies designed to minimize risk to humans and manage the underlying drivers of water quality impairment. Using nitrate sensors as an example, we highlight the types of applications in freshwater and coastal environments that are likely to benefit from continuous, real-time nutrient data. The concurrent emergence of new tools to integrate, manage and share large data sets is critical to the successful use of nutrient sensors and has made it possible for the field of continuous nutrient monitoring to rapidly move forward. We highlight several near-term opportunities for Federal agencies, as well as the broader scientific and management community, that will help accelerate sensor development, build and leverage sites within a national network, and develop open data standards and data management protocols that are key to realizing the benefits of a large-scale, integrated monitoring network. Investing in these opportunities will provide new information to guide management and policies designed to protect and restore our nation’s water resources.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS2017

A hydrologic drying bias in water-resource impact analyses of anthropogenic climate change

For water-resource planning, sensitivity of freshwater availability to anthropogenic climate change (ACC) often is analyzed with “offline” hydrologic models that use precipitation and potential evapotranspiration ( E p ) as inputs. Because E p is not a climate-model output, an intermediary model of E p must be introduced to connect the climate model to the hydrologic model. Several E p methods are used. The suitability of each can be assessed by noting a credible E p method for offline analyses should be able to reproduce climate models’ ACC-driven changes in actual evapotranspiration in regions and seasons of negligible water stress ( E w ). We quantified this ability for seven commonly used E p methods and for a simple proportionality with available energy (“energy-only” method). With the exception of the energy-only method, all methods tend to overestimate substantially the increase in E p associated with ACC. In an offline hydrologic model, the E p -change biases produce excessive increases in actual evapotranspiration ( E ), whether the system experiences water stress or not, and thence strong negative biases in runoff change, as compared to hydrologic fluxes in the driving climate models. The runoff biases are comparable in magnitude to the ACC-induced runoff changes themselves. These results suggest future hydrologic drying (wetting) trends likely are being systematically and substantially overestimated (underestimated) in many water-resource impact analyses.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS2023

The usability gap in water resources open data and actionable science initiatives

The open data movement represents a major advancement for informed water management. Data that are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable—or FAIR —are now prerequisite to responsible data stewardship. In contrast to FAIR, accessibility and usability case studies and guidelines designed around human access and understanding are lacking in the literature, especially for water resources. Such decision support guidelines are critical because (i) inherent visual design trade-offs are not best made using intuition or feedback (perceived preference), and (ii) choosing designs requires a nuanced understanding of why and how the design works (revealed effectiveness). Thus, the goal of this commentary is to highlight knowledge gaps and discuss a general usability testing method which can be applied to any water resources decision support product. The user-testing approach includes (i) interviews about visualization goals, audiences, and the uses and decisions made with the data products, (ii) diagnosis of usability challenges, and (iii) redesign of decision support products given best practices and control versus treatment with intended end-user audiences. We illustrate the method using high-profile U.S. Geological Survey water science products. In sum, optimizing and testing for usability and understandability are as central to stakeholder use as FAIR standards are, and warrant being part of the development of data products and geovisualizations.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS2023

A new genomic resource to enable standardized surveys of SNPs across the native range of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Understanding how genetic diversity is distributed across spatiotemporal scales in species of conservation or management concern is critical for identifying large-scale mechanisms affecting local conservation status and implementing large-scale biodiversity monitoring programmes. However, cross-scale surveys of genetic diversity are often impractical within single studies, and combining datasets to increase spatiotemporal coverage is frequently impeded by using different sets of molecular markers. Recently developed molecular tools make surveys based on standardized single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panels more feasible than ever, but require existing genomic information. Here, we conduct the first survey of genome-wide SNPs across the native range of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), a cold-adapted species that has been the focus of considerable conservation and management effort across eastern North America. Our dataset can be leveraged to easily design SNP panels that allow datasets to be combined for large-scale analyses. We performed restriction site-associated DNA sequencing for wild brook trout from 82 locations spanning much of the native range and domestic brook trout from 24 hatchery strains used in stocking efforts. We identified over 24,000 SNPs distributed throughout the brook trout genome. We explored the ability of these SNPs to resolve relationships across spatial scales, including population structure and hatchery admixture. Our dataset captures a wide spectrum of genetic diversity in native brook trout, offering a valuable resource for developing SNP panels. We highlight potential applications of this resource with the goal of increasing the integration of genomic information into decision-making for brook trout and other species of conservation or management concern.

Molecular Ecology Resources↗
USGS2007

Regional impact of water resource investments in an developing area

Regional development and industrialization patterns are investigated and related via regression analysis to water resource investments for the island of Puerto Rico. Although results of this study indicate such investments have little immediate or short‐term impact, significant relationships and variations in regional responses appear over longer time periods. This is shown by applying a variation of Zellner's method of performing seemingly unrelated regressions jointly. By this method, subsets of parameter coefficients of specific economic variables were restricted across regional equations while unrestricted coefficients were interpreted as explaining systematic regional variations in response to public investment. Regional differences, obtained by using this method, are frequently neglected when simply examining the overall development process. Among the more interesting results in terms of policy implications is the apparent significant relationship, over the period considered, between changes in the distribution of income and the pattern of water resource development.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS1983

Maps showing selected geology and phosphate resources of the Upper Valley quadrangle, Caribou County, Idaho

This report summarizes information on the thickness, grade, lateral continuity, phosphate resources, and ownership of phosphate-bearing units in the Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation in the Upper Valley quadrangle. This report is one of a series of quadrangle reports prepared by the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology under U.S. Geological Survey cost-sharing contract #14-08-0001-17925 to calculate phosphate resources in southeastern Idaho (fig. 1).

Idaho↗
USGS1984

Maps showing selected geology and phosphate resources of the Stewart Flat quadrangle, Caribou County, Idaho

This report summarizes information on the thickness, grade, lateral continuity, phosphate resources, and ownership of phosplate-bearing units in the Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation in the Stewart Flat quadrangle. This report is one of a series of quadrangle reports prepared by the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology under U.S. Geological Survey cost sharing contract # 14-08-0001-17925 to calculate phosphate resources in southeastern Idaho (fig. 1).

Idaho↗
USGS1984

Maps showing selected geology and phosphate resources of the Sage Valley quadrangle, Caribou County, Idaho

This report summarizes information on the thickness, grade, lateral continuity, phosphate resources, and ownership of phosphate-bearing units in the Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation in the Sage Valley quadrangle. This report is one of a series of quadrangle reports prepared by the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology under U.S. Geological Survey costsharing contract #1408-0001-17925 to calculate phosphate resources in southeastern Idaho (fig. 1).

Idaho↗
USGS1985

Maps showing selected geology and phosphate resources of the Snowdrift Mountain quadrangle, Bear Lake and Caribou Counties, Idaho

This report summarizes information on the thickness grade, lateral continuity, phosphate resources, and ownership of phosphate bearing units in the Meade Park Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation in the Snowdrift Mountain quadrangle. This report is one of a series of quadrangle reports prepared by the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology under U.S. Geological Survey cost-sharing contract #14-08-0001-17925 to calculate phosphate resources in southeastern Idaho (fig.1).

Idaho↗